


Royal Chronicles: Crystals of Gaia

by TheBlackKid



Series: Cross-Dimensional Chaos [2]
Category: Hyperdimension Neptunia, Puyo Puyo (Video Games), Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Adventure, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Extra Randomness, Freedom, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Magic, another world - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2020-04-11 19:50:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 58,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19116550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackKid/pseuds/TheBlackKid
Summary: It started out with Zelda somehow convincing Peach to go with her to another world to escape their unwanted royal lifestyles. But then it turned into the two of them, plus a princess from Hell and a somewhat reliable goddess, saving all universes, including their own, from the brink of total annihilation. Contains multiple POVs. Characters from other series make appearances as well. *EDITING IN PROGRESS**NEW PROLOGUE IN CHAPTER 1**NEW CHAPTER 3 UPLOADED*





	1. Release From Royalty

**Prologue**

 

" _Grr...C-Come on...d-damnit. Get. Out. Of. These..._ "

***PING***

" ** _Hahaha! Yes! Finally! I'm free from these damn chains! Nyahahahahaha!_** " I laughed with pure joy as I fled from the prison that I was trapped in for far too long. Getting far enough to catch my breath from the excitement of being free.

" ** _*pant* *pant*_**   _Man...I've lost more energy than I thought. Being chained up for 2 years really did a number on me. And I know just who to blame, too._ " I then started remembering how I got this way in the first place. And was slowly building up rage.

***TWO YEARS AGO...***

“ _Grr…d-damnit...M-Mother…_ ” I said. Still wrapped in the chain that suddenly grabbed me just when I was about to win.

“Hmm…Ridel Honnari. You have a lot of nerve trying to kill my children. I think lifetime imprisonment in the deepest parts of Hell would be the perfect punishment for you. Don’t you agree?”

“ _No!_ ”

“Well, too bad. I’m your mother. You don’t get a say. Now… **Begone!** ”

With just that simple word, Mother’s chains began to glow. And a black magic circle appeared underneath me. Slowly pulling me down to the depths of Hell yet again after losing yet another battle. Even if it was only the second time.

“ _No! This isn’t fair! Impossible, even! Why do I keep losing to you people?! Well, no matter! I’ll be back, Namanari! You hear me?! I won’t stop until I have all three of your corpses in my grasps! **YOU WILL NEVER SEE THE LAST OF ME!!!!!!!**_ ”

This was the last thing I said to my "family" before being sent to Hell to face utter punishment.

***PRESENT TIME***

" _Tch. Those damn Namanaris. It's their fault that I was trapped down here for so long. I was so freaking close to my Armageddon coming true. But they just **HAD** to get in the way. Plus, there was that damn fallen angel. Where the hell did **THAT** thing come from, anyway?_" 

***ATTENTION! ATTENTION! THE PRISONER HAS ESCAPED! I REPEAT, THE PRISONER HAS ESCAPED! FIND HER AT ONCE!***

" ** _Tch! Damnit! They already found out! I gotta get out of here!_** "

I flew even farther despite my weakened energy. I had to get away or else I would be put back in that prison again. And that was something I refused to let happen again.

In fact...what I _**truly**_ wanted to happen...was revenge. Not just on Lidelle, but on every last one of those nuisance mortals. Especially those so-called "friends" of mine and my useless creator. " _You made me lonely, Mommy! So, I'm gonna destroyed the world!_ " Pathetic!

" _Ugh. Thinking about it all is just making me crave vengeance even more. But if I go up there the way I am now, I'll surely get my ass kicked again. If there was only a way...a way to gain more power without any effort whatsoever. Then I could kill Lidelle and get my Armageddon with ease._ "

...

...

...

" _Tch. As if such a thing truly exists. And it'll probably be a pain in the ass to gain, anyway. Wouldn't be easy at all._ "

"That's what you think, dear child."

" _Huh? Who said that? Who the hell are you calling a child?_ "

" _ ***c**_ ** _huckle*_** So sorry. You just looked like one from afar. Weird, don't you think?" Appearing in front of me was some dog-like man-person with black fur, white dreadlocks, and **BY FAR** the ugliest silver mask I've ever seen. Can't even see his right eye.

" _Heh. I look weird? You're not that good-looking yourself, pal. Who are you, anyway?_ "

"I go by many names. Both from past and present. But you may call me...Infinite."

" _Infinite? What kind of name is that? Sounds like something a child would come up with. ***giggle***_ "

"You mean like yourself?"

" _Tch. Wh-What do you want, anyway? I'm too damn busy to hear whatever the hell you have to say. Get lost._ " I then tried to leave this weird-ass dog-person. But as I flew just only a few inches away... 

"Hm? So, you do not wish to destroy this pitiful universe you reside in...Ridel Honarri?"

_What the..._

" _How do you know my name?_ " I asked. Somehow giving this thing my full attention.

"You are quite famous around these parts, are you not? A mere clone of the Demonic Princess of Hell. _***chuckle***_ "

" _Tch. If you think that's so damn funny, then I got something for you that will make **me** laugh._"

"Apologies." The Infinite thing said.

" _And furthermore...what's this you said about_ " _destroying this pitiful_ _universe_ " _?_ "

"Oh? Did that spark some interest?"

" _I wouldn't be asking if it didn't, Metal Head._ "

" ** _*chuckle*_** Very well. If you truly desire to destroy this universe...to gain ultimate power and create a desolated, destroyed world....then take a look at this crystal. Accept its power." As Infinite was going on about something, he pulled out this red & black diamond-like crystal with a smaller black orb inside. It was shiny as hell, but I was still able to look at it clearly. And its immense power was even making me gain chills. And I'm a freaking demonic soul.

I didn't know what this thing was. Or where this guy got it from. But if this crystal was going to help me murder Lidelle and gain my Armageddon...

_...I guess I can hear this guy out a little. ***giggle* *demented giggle* Nyahahahaha!**_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Release From Royalty**

**Peach's POV**

“Come on, Peach! Aren’t you ready yet?!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming. I said while closing a small bag that I was packing. “ ** _*sigh*_**   I still can’t believe you’ve convinced me to do this.”

“I know, right? My persuasiveness even surprises me sometimes.”

“Then you’re not really proving your point, Zelda.” I gained a sweatdrop.

What we’re about to do is something that most people would call “extremely insane”. Zelda had come all the way from Hyrule one day and told me such an extremely insane idea. And at first, I was highly against it. But now…I’m about to do it with her.

What is this extremely insane idea of hers? Well, in order to explain it, I’ll have to go back a few days.

***A FEW DAYS AGO…***

“Y-You want to do **WHAT?!** ”

“Runaway to a completely new world.” Zelda said with a smile.

“ **Why are you saying that so nonchalantly?!** ”

“Because. I’m so tired of always having to protect this stupid Triforce of Wisdom from that nuisance Demon King and sacrificing my life to do so. Do you know how many times I **DIED** to protect that kingdom? I was even a ghost, for crying out loud.”

“Well, doesn’t Link help you out like...literally all the time?”

“Yeah. But then he ends up getting all the credit. And then I have to play it out like “ _Oh, Link! You’re my hero!_ ” or something stupid like that.”

Zelda then went silent for a second.

“Although...he does often ask why I put up with it. And I just tell him to not bother.”

“I see. Well…even with all that, leaving your kingdom behind and going to a completely new world on your own is extremely risky.”

“Huh? Who said I was going alone?”

…

…

...

“Please tell me you’re taking Link with you.” I said.

“Nope! I’m taking you, Peachy! My one and only best friend!”

“Pass.”

“ **What?! Come on!** ”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? This idea of yours is risky and dangerous.”

“ _Come on, Peach!_ " Zelda started to whine. " _You’re literally the only person who shares my pain!_ ”

“Pain?” I was confused about what she meant by that.

“What I mean is…aren’t you tired of always getting kidnapped by Bowser? Trapped in one of his  **MANY**  castles and waiting for Mario to come get you? I mean, it’s been the same thing for over 30 years at this point.”

I often don’t say this, especially about someone like Zelda. But she did have a point. Ruling a kingdom where you often get kidnapped by a giant turtle and your only way of escaping is to wait for a fat Italian plumber to come get you while your loyal subjects just run around and panic the whole time did get tiring after a while.

“Okay, I do see what you mean. But I did do other stuff besides that. I even rescued a few people myself.”

Zelda then let out a huge sigh while facepalming her face.

“Peach. The only times you’ve “saved” people were when Bowser kidnapped Mario instead of you, for some reason. And when you, Mario, Luigi, and a Toad went to another kingdom to rescue those rainbow-colored fairies while wearing a catsuit. Seriously, though. Why a cat?”

“ **I-It was cute, alright?! Lay off!** ” I blushed as I tried to defend the fact that I wore that thing.

“And that’s not even including the multiple go-kart races, tennis tournaments, and parties you guys have. By the way, how come you’ve never invited me to **ANY** of those things?”

…

…

...

“Uh… _hehheh._ ” Was all I could say while rubbing the back of my head.

“ ** _*sigh*_**   Well, anyway…do you get what I’m saying now?”

“Yeah. I do.”

“So, you’ll come with me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Come on, Peachy. _Please?_ ”

This was a huge thing for me to decide. Even though Zelda made some really good points, I can’t just get up and leave this place that I’ve called home for the past 30+ years. I’ve made so many memories here.

But…if Zelda really wants to go to a new world, there’s no telling what could happen if she went by herself. Someone’s gotta watch her.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Alright, Zelda. I’ll go with you.”

“ **Yay!** ” Zelda cheered as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a huge hug. “ **Thanks a bunch, Peachy! You’re my greatest friend ever!** ”

“I’m your only friend ever. Remember?”

“ _Shh! Don’t ruin the moment!_ ” She whispered.

I giggled a bit before returning my best friend’s hug with a little confidence in this crazy idea of hers.

“You’re a huge nutjob, you know that?” I said with a smile.

***PRESENT DAY***

So now, here we are. Each carrying a bag full of some stuff we just couldn’t leave behind as we stood in the courtyard of my castle ready to go to this “other world” Zelda kept talking about.

“Hey, by the way. What’s gonna happen when the people from both kingdoms find out that their rulers just suddenly disappeared?” I asked.

“Not to worry, Peachy. I got everything planned out. For my kingdom, I went ahead and cloned myself using my genes and a little Dark Magic.”

“W-Wait, what? You seriously **_cloned_** yourself? And how do you know Dark Magic?”

“What? You thought that I didn’t do anything while being stuck as a prisoner by Ganon and all those other people? I had a lot of free time on my hands. Might as well use it.”

“I-I see…” I was still a little creeped out that she knows Dark Magic. But it was better than doing nothing, I suppose.

“A-Anyway…what about this kingdom?”

“Got that covered, too. I got what’s her face to take over for ya.”

“Uh…what’s her face?”

“Yeah, you know. That orange-haired girl who yells a lot and is obsessed with flowers. What was her name? Uh...Rosie?”

“It’s Daisy.” I gained a sweatdrop.

“Well, I was close, wasn’t I?”

“How did you convince her to do it?”

“All I had to say was “you’ll be more popular” and she took the offer without even thinking it over. It’s rather sad, honestly.”

In hindsight, it really is.

_Good luck, girl. You’re gonna need it._

“Alright. We got our stuff packed and our clothes changed. Ready to go?” Zelda asked.

About the clothes part. We accentually decided to ditch our princess dresses for something more comfortable. Zelda had on a shorter version of her dress that went up to around her knees and these pink, white, and blue metal boots that honestly looked really cool on her. While I had on a t-shirt I got from when we had those soccer tournaments for a while. Along with some grey shorts and a pair of pink & white sneaker that I never wore until now.

“Yeah, I guess. But where exactly are we going? And how do we get there?”

“Leave all of that to me.”

Okay, now I was getting suspicious.

“Did you plan this whole thing for a while?”

“No more questions! We go now!”

“B-But…”

“ **Farore's Wind!** ”

I had a lot more questions to ask. But I was cute off when Zelda used one of her magic spells to teleport somewhere. Where she’s taking us, I have no idea.

I can only hope it’s not someplace crazy.

* * *

“ **Hey, hey! Pretty Palutena!** ”

“ ** _*shriek*_ Wh-What the?!**”

“Aw, geez. Really?” I asked myself as we, for whatever reason, appeared inside Palutena’s Temple. And right now, I was shielding my eyes because we had shown up when she was in the middle of a bath.

“ **Lady Palutena! Are you okay?! I heard you scream and…** oh. It’s just Zelda.” Pit, who came barging through the door, asked in a panicked state. But once he saw us, he quickly calmed down.

_I wonder…_

“ **Z-Zelda! You've got some nerve teleporting into my sacred hot spring while I’m taking a bath!** ” Palutena shouted.

“Aw come on, Pretty Palutena. We agreed that we can visit each other’s castles and palaces anytime we want, right?”

“ **Yeah! Through the front door! Like a normal person!** ”

“ _Pssh._ Since when are we “normal”?”

“She comes here a lot?” I asked Pit, who was standing next to me.

“More than one might think.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Whatever.” Palutena said before disappearing for a bit. Then reappearing a few seconds later out of the bath and fully dressed. “Normally, I would pass this off as another one of Zelda’s badly timed visits. But since you’re here, Peach, it must be important, right?”

“Uh…kinda.” I said.

“Kinda?” Both the goddess and the angel were confused.

“Allow me to explain.” Zelda said. “Peachy and I are leaving our old stressful kingdoms behind to go to a completely different world and enjoy ourselves for once in our lives.”

…

…

...

“What?” The angelic duo were beyond confused and shocked at this point.

“Pretty genius, if I do say so myself.”

“Zelda. Of all the crazy ideas you’ve had in the past, this has to be the most insane.” Palutena said.

“That’s what I said." I added. "But somehow, she managed to convince me otherwise.”

“Do you even know what world you’re going to?” Pit asked.

“Why do you think I brought us here? We need a world to go to.”

“ **What?!** ” The three of us shouted.

“ **You mean this whole time, you had no idea where you were taking us?!** ” I yelled in anger.

“Calm down, Peachy. I did say that it’s the main reason why we’re here.”

“Yeah, but what are the chances that we can find this “brand-new world” from here?!”

“ _Well…I do know **ONE** place._” Palutena said after giggling a bit.

“ **Really?! You do?!** ” Zelda asked in shock.

_Why am I not surprised?_

“Yep. Sure do.”

“I do not trust that smile.” I said.

“When Lady Palutena smiles like that, it’s never a good thing. Trust me, I went through an entire adventure with that smile.” Pit said to me.

“Oh, come on now, you two. There’s nothing to worry about at all.”

“Okay, then. What’s this other world you’re talking about?” I asked.

“Well, it’s a world that’s recently piqued my interest. It’s a world where you complete different quests, explore dungeons, and defeat monsters of all kinds.”

“Sounds cool.” Zelda said.

“Sounds dangerous.” I said.

“Sounds a lot like Dragon Quest.” Pit said.

“Could be. They both have very high similarities.”

“That’s it, Peachy! We’ve found our new world to call home!” Zelda said to me.

“Zelda, are you nuts? That world sounds crazier than the Mushroom and Hyrule Kingdoms **combined**. There’s no telling what these “monsters” could be like and we have no way of fighting them off.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Palutena said. “The monsters don’t attack the towns the people live in. They’re perfectly safe.”

“ _Hmm…_ ” I still didn’t trust her.

“Still not convinced? Then I’ll throw in Pit as a bonus.”

“ **Wait, what?!** ” Pit yelled.

“Just what’s your angle on this?”

“Don’t you think you’ve asked enough questions already, Peachy?” Zelda asked.

“Hey, I’m just trying to be safe. The only time I’ve been to a different world was when that World of Light thing happened.”

“ _Please don’t bring that up._ ” The other three said with nerves down their spines.

“Right. Sorry.”

“So. Want to go to this new world?” Palutena asked us.

“Come on, Peachy. We’re so close to a new life. Let’s go to this new world and have fun together. As best friends would. _Please?_ ”

Even though I agreed to it a few days ago, this idea was still pretty risky. But I’ve already come this far. And I’m actually curious about what this new world looks like myself.

Besides…with Zelda there with me, I won’t be completely alone. So, there’s that.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Alright. Let’s go.”

“ **Alright!** ” Zelda cheered. I swear, her child-like tomboy-ish personality always gets me somehow. “ **Alright, Pretty Palutena! Send us to our new home!** ”

“Seriously. Stop calling me that.” Palutena said with an exasperated look. She then spun her staff in the air a bit before slamming it onto the ground. Soon, a giant swirly portal appeared in front of us and it was slowly sucking us in.

“ **W-Wait! Y-You’re just gonna send us there without any advice?!** ” I asked in a panicked state.

“Don’t worry, girls. Everything you need to know will be waiting for you when you get there. Enjoy your new lives. **_*giggle*_** ”

" **H-Hey!** "

I wanted to say something. But before I could, the portal had sucked the both of us in and we were seeing less and less of The Goddess of Light and her angel servant. So, I just gave up at that point.

As we continued swirling through the portal, I felt myself getting dizzy a few times. But luckily, I didn’t puke.

“ **Woohoo! Isn’t this exciting, Peachy?!** ” Zelda yelled due to how loud the portal is.

“ **How are you so calm about this?!** ”

“ **Because I’m with you, silly! The two of us are going to rock this world! I just know it!** ”

I went silent for a bit. What Zelda just said really took me by surprise. Would she have never done this if I said no when she asked me a few days ago? I wouldn’t put that past her. But right now, she looks really happy. A lot more than when she would be in her castle all day.

It’s like it’s…a new side of her.

“ **Alright, Zelda! From now on, I’m with you all the way!** ” I yelled while grabbing hold of her hand.

“ **Right! And the same for me, Peachy!** ” Zelda replied with a smile.

So now, as both of us are traveling through this portal, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Peach Toadstool. Former princess of the Mushroom Kingdom.

And I’m about to start a brand-new life with my best friend.


	2. The Mythgrove Kingdom

**Zelda's POV**

 

“ **AAAHHHHH!!!** ”

***CRASH***

***THUD***

“ _Ow. My…everything._ ” I winced in pain as we both popped out of a pile of hay. “ _Why did Palutena had to spawn us up in the sky of all places_?”

“Well, she does live there. So I’m guessing she normally spawns from that high up.” Peach said.

“I guess."

_Though, knowing her, it was probably on purpose._

"Where did we land, anyway?”

“Hmm…it looks like a barn of some sorts.”

“A barn?” I looked around a bit. “It looks a bit…rundown.”

“It’s probably abandoned or something. Case in proof, the spider webs everywhere.”

 _"Ew, gross!_ " I quickly jumped out of the pile of hay and pulled Peach out with me. “Looks like those doors are loose. Help me push them open.”

I took the right side of the barn while Peach took the left side. We both pushed the doors open as hard as we could until finally, we were able to get out.

Once we did, however, we were amazed at what we saw.

“ _Woah…_ ” We both said.

What we were looking at was a vast amount of grassy plain all around. Flowers littered about, butterflies roaming around, mountains and waterfalls can be seen in the far background. And with the bright sun and cool breeze in the air, this area was so…what’s the word?

...

Uh…peaceful? Yeah, that’s it! It was peaceful! I rarely get to use that word.

“I…I can’t believe it. Such a world like this actually exists?” Peach asked.

“I know, right? I’m as shocked as you, Peachy. I’ve never seen such beauty before. I could just fall asleep here.”

“Hey, didn’t Palutena say that there were monsters around here?”

…

…

...

“O-Oh, yeah. She did say that. We should probably find that town she was talking about.”

“You think?” Peach gained a sweatdrop.

So we looked around a bit. Taking only a few steps away from each other so that we won’t get attacked by these random monsters. I wasn’t sure how long we’ve been looking, but it didn’t feel long.

At least, I think it didn’t.

“Hey! Zelda! I think I see something!” Peach shouted. I walked over to her and she pointed at what looked like a couple of small buildings jumbled up together up ahead. We were even able to see a windmill from where we were at.

“Could that be it? The town, I mean.”

“Hmm…could be. From all the way here, it looks rather different from the multiple villages in Hyrule.”

“And it looks **WAY** different from Toad Town.”

“Well, come on. Let’s go check it out.” I said before running ahead through the massive field of grass.

“H-Hey! Zelda! W-Wait up!” Peach shouted as she quickly caught up to me.

* * *

We soon reached this other-worldly town Palutena mentioned. And up close, it was even more amazing then up in the field earlier. For one, it was big. Like…bigger than the towns in each of our worlds combined. We passed by all these different buildings that were made out of different kinds of building material instead of just one. And the people here…they’re all human! No Toads! No Hylian people! Just pure humans! It’s so crazy, it’s awesome!

…

Although...it might be hard for me to blend in with these pointy ears.

“You know, I gotta admit. This place is rather cool-looking.” Peach said.

“Right? I’ve never seen such a town this big. It’s wide. Open. Spacious. And best of all…”

“Neither one of us has to rule it?”

“See? You’re already getting used to it, Peachy.” I said while nudging her arm a little.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Yeah, I guess. It is a nice change of pace. Being a villager instead of a monarch.”

“Finally, we get a huge load off our shoulders. I feel lighter already.”

“Don’t get too light, though. We still need to figure out what to do here.”

“Oh, right. I forgot." I rubbed the back of my head. "But this town’s so big, though. I don’t have a clue where to star…”

***BONK***

“Ow! What the…”

“Something just fell from the sky.” Peach said.

“Well, I’m pretty sure it left a good mark.” I said while rubbing the top of my head in pain. “What was it, anyway?”

“It’s…a book of some kind.”

“A book? Let me see.”

Peach gave me the book and together we read the title written on the front.

I not kidding when I say this, but it read:

“ _Exploring a New World_ _For Dummies._ ”

…

…

...

“You think this is from Palutena?” Peach asked.

“If it is, then I’m filing a complaint for the insult and the head injury.”

“Grow up.” Peach then opened the book and the first thing we saw was a note written by Palutena.

It read:

“ _Hello there, girls of former importance._

_I figured that you’ll be completely lost on what to do once you found the town. So, I sent over this guide for you. In it will tell you all you need to do in order to survive your new lives as peasants, I-I mean villagers._

_Anyway, just follow the steps listed in this book and you’ll do fine. Averagely fine, but still fine._

_Oh yeah, and don’t get eaten by the monsters. I heard that they think fried townspeople are a delicacy._

_Sincerely yours,_

_The Great Goddess of Light – Palutena._ ”

“Oh, yeah. **DEFINITELY** filing a complaint.”

“Just let it go, Zelda.” Peach said to me. “If this book’s supposed to help us, then let’s use it. It wouldn’t hurt to try it out.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Yeah, I guess.”

…

…

...

“Although...I do agree that she’s having too much fun with this.”

“She’s the Goddess of Light. Of course, she would have too much fun with it.” I said. Pretty much agreeing with her.

“Anyway…it says here that we need to find this place called a "guild". Hopefully, it won’t be too hard to find.”

“Yeah, but with a town this big, it might as well be.” I said as we started walking around and looking for this “guild” place.

* * *

We looked for a while, probably like 20 minutes or so, for this "guild" place. Asking people if they knew where it was. Most of them either looked at us funny or laughed at us while walking away. It wasn’t until we were about to give up that someone told us that there’s no "guild building". And that a guild is a group of people who work together on common things for the town.

We threw the book in the trash immediately after.

_Great. Not even an hour in and that book was already starting to be proven useless. Thanks a lot, Palutena._

That same person also gave us directions to this place we should go since we’re new to town. It’s what they call a “pub”. But it’s also where this “guild admission area” was. So that’s where we’re at now.

“Well, at least we finally found what we’re looking for.” I said as we stared at the building in front of us.

“Yeah, but I’m so tired and sweaty. I really do hope this new world has showers. I could really use one.”

“I’m pretty sure they have them. If they didn’t, then the people here would stink as much as a Bokoblin.”

“Yeah. Good point.”

We finally went inside and there were a lot of people here. Some were eating, some were drinking, and then there were these women who (I guess) work here. Serving food and drinks to everyone that was here.

There was also a small line underneath a sign that read “guild admission desks”. The line itself was short. So we won’t have to wait long.

But as we were standing there, something came to mind.

“Hey, Peach. Do you know why Palutena said we had to do this?”

“I don’t know. I’m just as new to this world as you are, Zelda. I don’t have a clue what this “guild” thing has in store for us. And I’m…I’m honestly kinda worried.”

I could understand where she’s coming from. Even though Hyrule was boring and at times stressful, it was an easy life. And not only did I leave that life behind, but I also convinced Peach to do the same. And now, we’re here. About to do who knows what that’s sure to be harder than our old lives. I really feel bad for dragging her all the way out here. It isn’t really something a best friend would do.

_I…I gotta tell her. It just seems right._

“H-Hey…Peach. I…I gotta apologize.”

“Huh? Apologize for what?”

“You know. For dragging you here with me even though you were against the idea in the first place. I wanted to get rid of my princess lifestyle so badly, that I didn’t give your concerns any thought. I really do understand that you’re nervous about all this. So that’s why…I’m sorry.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Zelda…” Peach said as she rested her arm on me. “Do you remember what I said to you when we were in that portal?”

“Huh? What you said?”

“Think about it.”

And I did just that. Even though it wasn’t that long ago, I had a hard time remembering due to the portal being so loud. But I eventually did remember.

“ ** _Alright, Zelda! From now on, I’m with you all the way!_** ”

And it was the most touching thing I’ve ever heard.

“Oh, yeah. I do remember. Did you really mean that?”

“Well, duh. Of course, I did. Or else I wouldn’t be here with you, right?”

…

...

...

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right, Peachy. Thanks for making me come to my senses. We’re in this together.”

“Yep. We sure are.”

“Next.” We heard a voice.

“Oh. We’re next.” Peach said.

“Welp. Here goes nothing.” I added.

We walked up to the counter and were face-to-face with a brunette-haired lady who looked a little older than us. Now that I think about it, nearly all the women here look like either the same age as us or a little older. Some were even younger. Like in the high teens.

_Come to think of it, what **WOULD** my age be? I never gave it much thought when I was a princess. I wonder..._

“Well, you two seem like new people. Just got in today?” The woman asked.

“Uh…y-yes. W-We did.” I said.

“We heard that this is the place to come to since we’re new. What exactly do we do here?” Peach asked.

“Well, allow me to explain. First off, welcome the Mythgrove Kingdom. The most balanced of the 4 kingdoms in this peaceful world.”

“Mythgrove?”

“Pretty cool name, to be honest.” I said.

“Right? Most of us think so, too.” The brunette continued. “Anyway…here in Mythgrove, we all lend a hand by taking on a set job that’s assigned to us by using… _th-this...crystal...orb!_ ”

***SLAM***

We both stared at the crystal orb the woman struggled to get onto the counter. It was a mix of light and dark blue. And at some point, it started to float on its own.

“Uh…that thing looks rather dangerous.” Peach said.

“Don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe. It floats like that because it’s working.”

“I-I see. S-So, what do we do with it?”

“Simple. You just place your hand over the orb. It scans you to see what kind of skills you have and then assigns you the job that matches them. It won’t hurt a bit.”

“When you say “It won’t hurt a bit”, it only makes me worry more.”

“Oh, come on, Peachy. She already said it was safe. What more proof do you need?”

“ _Well…_ ”

I then placed my right hand over the orb and it soon began to glow. The light was a little bright, but we were still able to see what was going on. The orb soon stopped glowing. And a slip of paper soon came out of it.

Don’t know how that’s possible. But then again, this is a different world.

“Alright. And your skills are… _wh…whoa._ ” Was all the woman could say.

“What?” I asked.

“O-Oh, um…i-it’s nothing. It’s just that the results are a little delayed. They should be valid soon, though.”

“Okay?” I was a little confused.

“Alright, you’re next.” The woman said to Peach.

“I’m still a bit worried about this thing. But I guess I don’t have a choice now, do I?”

Peach placed her right hand over the orb and the same thing process happened like with me. With it ending with a slip of paper somehow coming out of it.

“And now your skills are... _y…you have got to be kidding me..._ ”

“What? Is it bad?” Peach asked.

“N-N-No. I-It isn’t bad at all. I-It’s just these results…we as the guild will have to look these over a bit. They might take a day or two. Come back then and they should be accurate.”

“Huh? A day or two?”

“Why can’t we know them now?” I asked.

“Tr-Trust me, girls. It’s for the best, really. Until then, why don’t you get to know the wonderful kingdom of Mythgrove? After all…it’s your home now, too.”

We weren’t really sure how to take this news. We only just got here and we already hit a roadblock. Did this really happen to the villagers back home? And if so, why did we never notice?

_Were we really **THAT** oblivious?_

“What should we do?” Peach asked me.

“Well, until these results become valid, we really can’t do anything else. So, we might as well wait.”

“Yeah. We might as well.”

Oh. But before you go, please take these.” The woman said she handed us these sets of cards. “They’re diner and inn passes. They give you free access to food and lodging while you wait for your results. They're a way for apologizing for making you wait.”

“Oh, wow! Thanks a lot!” I cheered. “Come on, Peach! Let’s go eat something! I’m staving!” I then ran off to find said food to eat.

“H-Hey! Zelda! Calm down a little, will ya?”

“Hope you two enjoy your time here!” The woman said to us while waving us goodbye.

We might have already hit an obstacle in our path to a new life. But with my best friend Peach on my side, nothing’s going to stop me from pushing on!

**Bring it on, World! The former princess of Hyrule is ready for anything you got!**

* * *

" ** _*sigh*_** Geez, that was close. Just what the hell are  **THOSE** two princesses doing in a different world? Especially here in Mythgrove? I might have to do some investigating on this. Hey, Sara."

"Yes, Chief?" One of the guild workers came up to me.

"File these under the "Second Check" box. I'll be there to view it shortly."

"Right away, Chief." The guild worker then went to fulfill the command. Leaving me alone upfront like how it was earlier.

_Hmm...Princess Peach and Princess Zelda. With those two here, I feel like this world is in for some deep trouble._

"Um...excuse me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. How can I help you?" I said the next person in line. Continuing my workday as if nothing weird happened at all.

...

Even though it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ex-members of royalty arrive at the very interesting Mythgrove Kingdom…only to get stuck not long after. What were those results that are forcing them to wait? And what are they waiting for? Find out by reading on through. Thanks for reading. Later.


	3. The Demonic Princess

**Lidelle’s POV**

 

“ _ARF ARF!_ ”

“ ** _*moan*_** _Poochy…_ ”

“ _ARF ARF!_ ”

“ _Come on, Poochy. Last night’s Mario Kart Tournament tired me out and I just wanna sleep~._ ”

“ ** _*whine*_** ” ***LICK* *LICK* *LICK***

“O-Okay, Poochy! I’m up! I’m up! Just ease up with the licking, please!” I yelled as my lost soul dog was licking my face repeatedly to get me out of bed. All while trying not to break down laughing. His tongue **_really_** tickles a lot.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Geez, Poochy. You’re the only one in this house that has so much energy this early in the morning.”

“ _ARF ARF!_ ”

“ ** _*giggle*_** Well, alright. Let’s go get something to eat.”

“ _ARF ARF! ARF!_ ”

My name is Lidelle Namanari. I’m a green-haired girl who lives in the small and (kinda) peaceful Primp Town and I attend the equally (kinda) peaceful Primp Magic School.

My life here is pretty normal. Well, okay. Maybe not normal for a lot of people. You see, I am part of a royal family that started out in the pits of Hell. And I’m known as the Demonic Princess. The soon-to-be ruler of it all.

It’s a pretty long story. But to put it in layman’s terms, I’m not a normal human. Case in point, my current age. Because of my family lineage, I am currently 10,015 years old. **_But…_** people get really freaked out when I tell them that. So, I just say that I’m 15. No matter which way you look at it, I’m pretty young. I’m the second youngest person in my class, in fact. Only beating Witch by a year.

Even though I don’t really age. Another trait of ours.

Poochy and I reached the kitchen in our house and I was figuring out what to make for breakfast. I’m in charge of cooking for everyone. So, this was the norm for me.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Now, let’s see…bread, eggs, butter…what can I make with these?”

“ _ARF ARF!_ ”

“French toast? But we had that a few days ago. Plus, it’s too simple. I’ll never get full from that.”

“ _ARF?_ ”

“Hey, I do get full. It just takes a huge meal for it to happen, that’s all.”

“ _ARF ARF ARF…_ ” Poochy shook his head.

“Like you’re one to talk, Poochy.” I grew insulted. Then went back to looking. “Well, we got hot chocolate, marshmallows, and…a coconut. For some reason.”

_I don’t remember buying this…_

“ _ARF?_ ” Poochy titled his head.

“Well…I can think of something to make with these.” I said with a smile.

And so, with the stuff I pointed out earlier, I began making breakfast. Cooking the French toast was a simple thing. Making this hot cocoa ganache thing was the complete opposite. It was so complicated that I think this is something Raffina would shove down her throat.

…

Well…either that, or Raina would get to it first. That girl just **LOVES** sweets.

“ _And…_ it’s done. Breakfast is complete.” I said as I proudly stared at 8 plates of my newest food creation.

“ _ARF! ARF ARF ARF!_ ”

“Okay, boy. Calm down. I’ll get yours in a sec.”

“ _ARF ARF!_ ”

“ ** _*yawn*_** _Good morning, Sweetie._ ”

“Good morning, Mother.” I said with a bow. “Breakfast is ready now.”

“ _It isn’t something ***yawn*** over the top again, is it?_”

…

…

…

“ _Well…_ ” Was all I said.

This is my mother. Yumi Namanari. Unlike my father, brother, and myself, she’s 100% human. But she’s just as involved with anything Hell-related as Satan and I are.

It’s just the two of us that live in this house. As after my father, the previous demon king, had passed away, we both moved up to the surface while my brother Satan, the current demon king, often switches between living in Hell and living in a castle he built up here.

He does come by to visit. But 9 times out of 10, when he visits…he just talks about Arle. And it gets annoying **_real_** fast.

But he’s my brother and I love him. So, I just put up with it. As much as I don’t want to sometimes.

“Um…Lidelle. What is this?” Mother asked me as she stared at the plate of French toast in front of her.

“My newest food creation, Mother. French toast ganache sandwiches dipped in a hot cocoa mixture, cooked to a golden crisp, and topped with coconut whipped cream, toasted marshmallows, toasted coconut, and a good drizzle of more ganache. I call it…Hot Chocolate French Toast! **_*giggle*_** ”

“Um…I see.” Mother gained a sweatdrop. “You sure are… ** _creative_** …when it comes to cooking, Sweetie.”

“ ** _*giggle*_** Thank you, Mother.” I smiled.

“By the way…why are there 8 plates of this stuff?”

“Well, that’s because…”

***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

“Oh, they’re here. I’ll get it, Mother. You can start eating my **_delicious_** French toast.”

“E-Eat it? L-Lidelle, you can’t possibly…”

“Coming!” I yelled out as I left Mother alone with her plate of food. I know that there’s no way she can possibly eat that much food. I just like to tease her about it sometimes. It’s pretty funny.

As for who’s at the door…every so often, I have my friends come over for breakfast mainly because it’s difficult to get some on their own. N-Not because they don’t get fed or anything. It’s well…they’re complicated people.

You’ll see what I mean.

“Good morning, Amitie. Good morning, Feli.”

“Morning, Lidelle.” The two girls replied.

“You guys ready to eat? I’ve got something **_truly_** delicious in store this morning.”

“Aw, geez. Sounds like Lidelle created a new breakfast type again.” Feli said.

“I hope it’s not over the top this time.” Amitie said. “Three bites of that last one and I was already full.”

“Oh, please. You two are just too worried about getting fat.”

“No. It’s because we don’t have a black hole for a stomach.” Both girls retorted with a pissed off look.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Whatever. You coming in or not?”

“Well, duh. I’m hungry.” Amitie said. “Mom’s still asleep and Sis is off working with Arly.”

“And Mao’s still out of town.” Feli said. “I gotta remember to bring a doggie bag for Bal.”

“Don’t worry. There’ll be plenty.” I said with a giggle. Making the duo worry even more in the process.

These two are my friends. Amitie Rose and Feli Kuromi. The three of us have started hanging out together as of late. Due to a certain event in the past that actually brought us together. Both literally and figuratively. More on that later.

Starting with Amitie, she’s actually something called the Light Soul. Born from an ancient legend that spans generations.

…

Well…that’s what we were told. Turns out her mom made her like that in order to seal up her (then evil) twin sister inside of her old hat. It was a shock to us all, really.

We all thought Amitie had gotten rid of it. But apparently, she still has it. She’s currently trying to master it. **_But…_** Amitie did gain a bit of an anger problem with this new power of hers. Calling her weak is like waving your death flag nowadays.

And as for Feli, she’s the only pure human between the three of us. But that doesn’t exactly make her normal. You see…Feli was not born in Primp. In fact, she was born in a completely different world. A world known as…Japan…Tokyo…Toyama…one of those three. It was never made clear on what the name was.

Anyway. That’s where Feli’s from. And she ended up here through unknown means. The three of us actually went to that world one time. And met some friends in the process. One of them being Feli’s long lost sister, Mao. Another shock to us all.

Both Kuromi sisters are masters of charms. And use them a lot for either Puyo battles or some miscellaneous stuff.

…

The miscellaneous stuff you gotta watch out for. Take it from me.

“ _Ah. That was delicious._ _Right, Poochy?_ ”

“ _ARF!_ ”

“Well, that explains the 4 extra plates.” Feli gained a sweatdrop.

“Lidelle, your appetite is truly something else.” Amitie said. Also with a sweatdrop.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Now you see why I do all the cooking.”

“ _Right…_ ” Both girls said.

“N-No way. A-Are you sure? **_*sigh*_ **That is a problem, indeed. Alright, I’ll tell her. Thank you for letting us know.”

***BEEP***

“ _Oh, dear…_ ” Mother gained a worried look as she had gotten off of the phone.

“What happened, Mother?” I asked.

“That was Satan on the other line. He was just telling me that Ridel has escaped from the prison she was in.”

“ **R-Ridel escaped?!** ”

“ **Get really real!** ” Amitie shouted.

“Wait, who’s Ridel?” Feli asked.

“Oh, right. You never met her. Ridel is an evil clone of Lidelle.”

“A-An evil clone?! O-Of Lidelle?!”

“Yep, that’s it.” I said. “And she’s bent on killing me, taking my place as the Queen of Hell, and sending this world into ruin. Or her “Armageddon”, as she keeps calling it.”

“Geez. Someone like her is out roaming around? How did she break free?”

“She must’ve kept struggling until she broke the chains or something. She matches my power. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.”

“Damn…”

“Any idea where she ran off to?” Amitie asked Mother.

“No clue. Although, there have been rumors that she was last seen with some dog-like guy with a silver mask on.”

“Dog-like guy? The hell?” Feli asked.

“That’s all we know at the moment. If that rumor is true, then no doubt she’ll come back for Lidelle again.” Mother then turned to face me. “Are you prepared to fight your clone again? There’s no telling what she could try this time.”

“It’s not like I have a choice in all this, Mother. It’s either I defeat her or she sends this world into apocalyptic ruin. **_*sigh*_** But I’m basically fighting myself. With how nearly identical we are in terms of strength and power. Beating her a third time will be tough as…well, you get the idea.”

“Don’t worry, Lidelle. I’ll help you out.” Amitie said. “It’ll be just like the first fight back in Dream Land. We’ve beaten her then and we’ll certainly beat her again!”

“Amitie…”

“And I may not know much about this clone of yours, but I definitely got your back, too.” Feli said. “The three of us gotta have each other’s backs, right? _Fufufufu._ ”

“Feli…”

I was truly stunned to see that these two, without any hesitation, offered to help me defeat Ridel whenever she shows up again. They really don’t have to do this. But…I guess that’s what having best friends are for, huh?

“Guys…thank you both. Your help will be gladly appreciated.” I said with a smile.

“No problemo, Lidelle!” Amitie cheered.

“ _That’s what friends are for, right? Fufufufu._ ” Feli said in her occult girl persona.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Yeah, that’s true.”

***GROWL***

“Aw, geez. All that talking made me hungry.”

“ **You mean you’re STILL hungry?!** ” Feli asked.

“ **But you just ate FIVE PLATES of French toast!** ” Amitie yelled.

“What can I say? I’m a growing teenage girl. _Anyway~._ I’m heading over to Lemres’ shop. You girls coming?”

“Good freaking grief…” Feli said.

“Lidelle, I think may rival Kirby for the title of “Eating Champion”.” Amitie added.

“Really now? We could have a Gourmet Race to see who’s the best.”

“ **Like hell, that’s happening!** ” Amitie, Feli, and Mother retorted at my suggestion.

_Oh, well. Can’t ***BURP*** win them all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new third chapter written for this revision. Since this story has four different series as the main focus, I want to introduce the two new ones at an earlier point. instead of leaving it as it is now.
> 
> For those unfamiliar with Puyo Puyo, it’s a puzzle game where you have to connect four puyos of the same color in order to clear them. There are other things like chains and stuff like that. It’s a fun series and I highly suggest trying it out. If you’re into puzzle games, that is.
> 
> The story is still in editing mode. But it will be finished and will continue soon. Thanks for reading. Later.


	4. Helping a New Friend

**Peach's POV**

 

“ _Aw…so delicious!_ ”

“I still can’t believe you actually ate five of those giant chicken legs.” I said to Zelda as we were leaving the pub after eating a few things.

“Why not, Peachy? Now that we’re not princesses anymore, we can stuff our faces as much as we want. It’s great!”

“Even though I’m not a princess anymore, I still won’t do that. I don’t have as big of an appetite  as you.”

“ _Hey. Was that a joke about my weight?_ ” Zelda looked at me with a face like she got insulted or something.

“We’re almost the same in weight, height, and other things. How would I joke about that?”

“People find a way…”

“You’re overreacting.”

“Believe what you want, Peachy. The truth will come eventually.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Whatever, Zelda.” I facepalmed.

With nothing else to do for at least a day, the two of us were now walking around the village of that we now know as the Mythgrove Kingdom. So far, it’s a mix of a big town and a small village. And the size didn’t help with what exactly it’s supposed to be.

There were all kinds of people here. Just doing their own thing. Men, women, and children enjoying their time here by doing what they want to do. And they look so happy, too.

I do admit, this was something I always wanted. Instead of being bored in a castle or worse, being trapped in another castle. It’s also really peaceful here. No evil whatever insight.

...

I probably just jinxed myself. But hopefully, it doesn't come this early.

“Geez, look at this place. It’s so huge.” Zelda said.

“It really is. There are so many buildings here. All stretched on multiple pathways and such. It’s so advanced.”

“I know, right? And it’s complex, too. Almost like one of those Metroidvania games in real life.”

“I guess.” I gained a sweatdrop.

_I wouldn't want those to be real. Knowing how nightmare-ish they tend to be._

After a bit more walking, we found a specific building that really resonated with us. And why it did so wasn't technically a good thing.

“Is this a…castle?” I asked.

“Yep. Sure looks like one.” Zelda said just as stunned. “Do you think someone rules this kingdom?”

“Probably. But the question is, who exactly is it? A king? A queen? A prince? Or maybe…”

“A…princess.” Zelda finished my sentence.

…

…

...

“W-Well…we did come to this world to escape this kind of lifestyle. Let’s try to forget it okay, Peachy?”

“Y-Yeah. Let’s…do that.” I said nervously.

_Hopefully, we won’t have to come here for any reason whatsoever._

**_*terrified scream*_ **

“Hey, did you hear that?” Zelda asked.

“Yeah, I did. It sounded like someone screaming.”

“And it came from that way, too. Come on, let’s check it out!”

“Wh-Why?! It most likely has nothing to do with us!”

“You don’t know that! It could be fate!”

“Fate?”

“Yeah, Fate. You know...the thing that could change your life for better or worse. Fire Emblem has them all the time.”

“ **But we’re not in Fire Emblem!** ”

“That doesn’t mean it won’t happen to us! Now, come on!” Zelda yelled before running off again.

“Z-Zelda! **_*sigh*_** This girl…” I said as I chased after her yet again.

_This better not be a trend..._

* * *

“ ** _*terrified scream*_ G-Get away from me!**”

“ _Come on, little girly. We just want what you have in that little pouch of yours._ ”

“ _Yeah. We won’t hurt you…unless you don’t hand it over, that is._ ”

“ **N-N-No! I will not! What is in here is too important for me to forfeit to a bunch loser goons like you!** ”

“A bunch of loser goons?! Why you got a smart mouth for such a little brat!”

“We’re taking that pouch! Whether you like it or not!”

“ **H-H-Help!** ”

I finally caught up to Zelda as we saw three tough-looking guys surrounding a very light-blue & white mix-haired girl wearing an all light-white outfit and holding a staff. She looked terrified as the three men kept getting closer and closer. Seemingly closing her way of escape.

“H-Hey, Peachy! I think that girl’s getting robbed!” Zelda said.

“Yeah, it sure looks like it! We should probably get an officer or something!”

“An officer?! Peachy! We don’t have time for that! Someone’s gotta help her now!”

“Zelda. I admire your willingness to help people… **but this isn’t Hyrule!** You can’t just interfere with other people’s affairs just because they’re in trou…”

“ **Din's Fire!** ”

_…And she’s ignoring me._

Zelda launched a magical fireball at the thug trio. Only hitting their feet as a sign to back off.

“ **H-Hey! Wh-What was that?!** ” One of the goons asked.

“That was me!” Zelda yelled. “Step away from the girl!”

“ **Tch! You should learn to mind your own business, girly!** ” One goon, standing the middle of the group, shouted angrily at us.

“This is my business, now! _**Step! Away!**_ ”

“Or else what?! You and your little girly friend over there are going to stop us?! I’d like to see you try! **Get’em, boys!** ”

“ **Right, Boss!** ” The other two shouted as all three of them came running towards us with swords in their hands.”

“Help me out here, Peachy!” Zelda yelled.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Fine. Like I have a choice now, anyway.”

_Not even a day since we came here and we’re already in a fight with someone. That’s what happens when Zelda lets loose her true personality._

“ **Have some of this!** ” One goon shouted as he swung his dagger as us.

“ **Nayru's Love!** ” Zelda created a crystalline barrier that not only gave us protection from the sword, it also dealt a little damage to the goon. Pushing him back a bit.

“Gah! Wh-What the…?”

“ **Get the other one!** ” The ringleader shouted.

“ **Right, Boss!** ” The other goon shouted as he came towards me while swinging his dagger repeatedly.

“Aw, geez.” I said to myself.

As the goon kept swinging at me, I was slowly getting angrier and angrier. Until at one point, it almost cut my face. That was when all bets were off for me.

“ _Alright, that’s it! Now, you’re gonna pay!_ ” I yelled in a threatening tone.

“Ha! You’re all talk, girly!” The goon said.

“ _All talk, huh?!_ ”

I raised my right arm with my open palm facing him while it started to glow on its own. Until finally…

“ **PK Flash!** ”

…I spawned a giant ball of green light from my hand and aimed it at the goon. It soon exploded and sent the goon back up against the other one and they both fell to the ground. Defeated.

“ **Wha…What the?!** ” Not only did the ringleader yell that, but Zelda did as well.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Had enough yet?” I taunted.

“ ** _Grr…you little…_ YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!**” The ringleader shouted with rage as he came towards me once more.

“Hey! Zelda! I could use some help here!”

“O-Oh, yeah. Right. Uh… **Din’s Fire!** ” Zelda launched another magical fireball at the guy. Exploding on impact, but it did miss due to him dodging at the last second.

“ **Hmph! Like I’m falling for that again! Now come get some!** ”

“Let’s do it again!” I said to Zelda.

“Right! **Din’s Fire!** ” Zelda shot another fireball. It looked like it was about to miss again…

“ **PK Fire!** ”

I shot a yellow lightning-bolt shaped projectile, soon turning into a small burst of fire, at the ringleader. It was a direct hit, but it did push me back a bit. And that made both attacks hit him at one, too.

“ _Gah…ha…ha…y-you two…you’ll pay for this! Boys! R…Retreat!_ ”

The ringleader got up and ran in a limp out of the alleyway we were in. Along with the two goons, who were also in a limp.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Geez. Fighting is a lot harder than I thought. And I didn’t have my Smash move set, either.”

“Uh, Peachy…” I looked over at Zelda, who still had that look of shock from earlier. “… **How the hell do you know PSI?!** ”

“Easy. I learned it from Lucas.”

“ **What?! From Lucas?!** ”

“He and I hang out sometimes. Often to help him move on from the tragedy his mom had. He always seems so sad.”

“I-I…I see.” Was all she was able to say. I rarely get to blow her mind like this. So I really enjoyed it.

“A-Anyway…are you okay? Those thugs didn’t hurt you, right?” Zelda asked the girl.

“Y-Yes. I am alright. I must thank you girls. You both saved my life.”

“Aw, it was nothing. We would’ve fought back if there were ten of those guys right, Peachy?”

“No. I would’ve gotten the officer. Like I wanted to earlier.”

“But that would’ve taken too long.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** ” I facepalmed again.

“Um…excuse me. May I ask you girls something? You are both new here, are you not?” The girl asked.

“Yeah, we are. Is it **_that_** obvious?” Zelda asked.

“Yes, kinda. Everyone here in Mythgrove knows each other. So it is easy to spot out the newcomers.”

As the girl kept talking, I was able to look at her outfit a little more. Her clear-white long-sleeved mini-dress with light-blue triangle-shaped patterns was almost up to her knees. And there was a light-blue broach on the top and a hood on the back. She also wore snow boots that matched the color of her dress. And her long hair was white, too. But her eyes were red like a ruby.

For some odd reason, everything about her reminds me of…snow.

“Um…sorry if I keep asking you questions. But are you two magic users?” The girl asked.

“Well, I am.” Zelda said. “But I have no idea about her. I’m still shocked by what she just did.”

“Hey, I can fight back too, you know. I just…rarely get the chance.” I defended myself.

“Well, you sure did this time. I can’t believe you know PSI.”

“PSI? Is that what you used?” The girl asked.

“Yeah. But it’s rather complicated.”

“I see. Well…I must thank you both once again. You two really are heroes.”

“Aw, no problem.” Zelda said. “We were glad to help, uh…wait…”

“Oh. How forgetful of me. My name is Mio. I am 19-years-old and currently studying Ice Magic.”

“Ice Magic? That’s interesting.” I said.

“ **Wait, you’re 19?! You look so mature!** ” Zelda shouted.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Thank you. I do get that a lot.” Mio said with a smile.

“Well, anyway. I’m Zelda. And this is my best friend, Peach. We’ve been here for like, what…a couple of hours?”

“Sounds about right.” I said.

“A couple of hours? So, you two are brand-new to this kingdom.” Mio said.

“Yep. Sure are. We came here to…start over, as one might say.”

“We were walking around seeing the sights when we heard you scream. That’s when we showed up and…well, you know.” Zelda said.

“Yes. I am more aware. So...is it fine that I join you girls? I could show you around as a token of my gratitude.”

“R-Really? Y-You’ll do that?” We both asked.

“I really do not mind at all. And besides, you two do seem nice.”

“Wow. Th-Thanks, Mio. This will help a lot.” I said.

“Yeah, it would. I honestly thought we’ll get lost here.” Zelda added.

“No need to worry about that. I know my way here. I shall give you both a nice, detailed tour of Mythgrove.”

“Alright!”

**_*GROWL*_ **

“Aw, geez. I’m hungry.”

“ **What?! But you just ate!** ” I yelled in shock.

“Well…fighting makes me hungry. Hopefully, the pub’s still open. Come on, Mio. We’ll treat you, too! **Let's go!** ” Zelda then ran off for the 4th time today.

“Z-Zelda! **_*sigh*_** Why does she keep doing that?”

“Zelda seems like a very cheerful person.” Mio said.

“Yeah, she is. It’s mainly the reason why I became friends with her.”

“I see. Well, you two are a perfect match.”

“Thanks, Mio. I think so, too.”

Both of us then went after Zelda, who eventually got lost on the way back to the pub.

_I never would’ve thought she would jinx herself so hard. It’s kinda funny._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peach and Zelda have made a new friend. Mio the Ice Magician. With the duo now a trio, things are about to get more interesting.
> 
> So like I've said before, this story is an AO3 exclusive. I'm hoping that it does better here than on Fanfiction. I don't want to scrap this story again. Let me know what you guys think so far.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	5. The Truth Be Told

“Okay, I get it. I shouldn’t have run off like that…again.”

“I’m glad you get now. But it’s still rather funny.” Peach said to me.

“N-No, it’s not! I-I’m just…bad with directions, that’s all!” I yelled while making a pouty face and crossing my arms.

“Whatever makes you feel better, Zelda.”

“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“ ** _*giggle*_** Wow. Watching you two talk to each other is pretty entertaining.” Mio said. “Almost like a comedy trope.”

“Thanks, Mio.” Peach said. “I’m sure there’ll be an encore sometime in the next few minutes.”

“Can we please stop with the light jabs at me?” I was starting to feel insulted.

“Alright, alright. Sorry.”

Geez. It’s only been a couple of hours since we came to Mythgrove and the one thing I’ve noticed so far is how Peach had let loose a little. It’s great, considering how strict and serious she used to be back in the Mushroom Kingdom. But if she keeps throwing these jabs at me, then I’m not afraid to send some back. Even though she’s my best friend.

As of right now, the three of us were sharing a room at one of these inns we found around here. It took us a while to actually get a room. Didn’t think there would be so many people who use this place to sleep in.

Being a part of the common folk gets really interesting the more I experience it.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Our first day here and we did...practically nothing.” I said as I flopped myself onto one of the beds here.

“Well, we did rescue Mio from those thugs earlier. Doesn’t that count?” Peach asked.

“Hmm…I guess. But that wasn’t exactly planned. No offense, Mio.”

“None taken.” Mio replied.

“Zelda. If by chance we would’ve learned our skills today, what could’ve we possibly do here?”

“W-Well, I…”

To be honest, she did have a point.

“Oh. That does remind me.” Mio said. “You two are new to Mythgrove, right? Where did you come from? One of the 5 neighboring kingdoms?”

…

…

“Sh-Should…Should we tell her?” I asked Peach as I turned to her.

“I-It’s only fair. She did tell us about herself.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Yeah. I guess.”

“Huh? Tell me what?” Mio looked confused.

“L-Listen, Mio. Wh-What we’re about to tell you is a secret that we want you to keep to yourself. Can we trust you to do that?”

“Sure. I mean…we are friends, right?”

“Fr-Friends…?” I froze up when I heard that one word.

“W-Well, what I mean is…I-I’m…I’m happy that I met you two. And I was hoping that we could…you know…be friends.”

“ _M-Mio…you are the_ **BEST!** ” I cheered as I rushed over to her and gave her a huge hug.

“I-I’m glad you think so, Zelda. _B-But you really are squishing me…_ ”

“O-Oops. Sorry, Mio.” I said as I released my grip from her.

“So, what’s this secret you two are hiding?”

“Oh, yeah. Right. Tell her, Peachy.”

“B-But this was your… ** _*sigh*_** fine.” Peach was a little angry at first. But then she gave in and faced Mio. “Mio. The truth is…that we were princesses. From two different worlds.”

“ **Pr-Princesses?! Fr-From different worlds?!** ”

“Shh! Keep it down a little!”

“R-Right. Sorry.”

“Yep. It’s true.” I said. “We were two of the most well-known princesses in our respected universes.”

“Wait a sec. Why do you two keep saying “were”?” Mio asked.

“Because. We ran away from our royal titles and came here to start a new normal life.”

“We were sick and tired of being princesses. It’s not as fun as people make it out to be. Always being kidnapped and such.” Peach added.

“Kidnapped?”

“It happens a lot. Trust us.”

“So we decided to leave. Leave all of that behind us and run away to this world. Which, by the way, we didn’t even know existed. That’s why we were kinda lost here.” I explained.

“I see. I think I understand now. To think that I would meet other-worlders just by a chance of luck. It really is an unexpected surprise.”

“We’re...honestly surprised that you’re taking this news so well, Mio.” Peach said.

“Well. Like I said. The fact that you both are ex-princesses from different worlds is surprising. But something like that isn’t going to make me stop being friends with you guys. I’ll help you out as much as I can. Promise.”

“ _W-Wow. Mio…_ **YOU REALLY ARE THE BEST!** ” I shouted in total glee as I tried to hug Mio again.

Like I said. **_Tried_** to. Peach held on to my shirt as the last second.

“Down, girl.” She said to me.

“So. What should we do tomorrow? Anything you two need?” Mio asked.

“Well, know that you mention it…we should probably check with that guild lady at the pub.”

“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.” I added.

“The guild? What happened there?”

“We were trying to find out our skills and the lady said that the results “need to be discussed” or something like that. We couldn’t really do much after that.”

“Huh. That’s odd. Usually, they tell you what your skill is. No matter what the results are. The fact that they kept it a secret from you guys…something’s not right.”

“ _Really now?_ ” Both Peach and I said as we were now getting suspicious of this whole guild thing.

“Now I **_really_** want to find out what’s going on.” I said.

“Yeah. So do I.” Peach said.

“You don’t mind coming with us do you, Mio?”

“Sure. Not a problem. I’m actually curious myself.” Mio said. Agreeing to tag along with us.

“Great! Then let us three solve this conspiracy!” I cheered.

...

...

...

All of a sudden, the room went dead silent.

“U-Uh…Z-Zelda…” Peach said.

“I-I wouldn’t exactly call this a “conspiracy”.” Mio said.

“Oh. Well, whatever.” I said with a shrug.

 

By the next day, the three of us headed over to the pub to talk with the guild lady about our results that are “supposedly” delayed.

“Geez. This place is more packed as yesterday.” Peach said.

“Yeah, no kidding. I never thought this many people can fit inside this place.” I added.

“Huh? What are you guys talking about? This much is actually normal.” Mio said.

“ **Huh?! How?!** ” We both asked her.

“Well, this is one of only 4 restaurants here in Mythgrove. The other three being bigger. But they still get really crowded.”

“Sheesh. Only 4?” I asked.

“With a kingdom this big, is that really enough?” Peach asked.

“Well, no. It’s for that reason why most people just cook their own food.”

“I see. Well, I guess I’ll be coming here a lot.”

“Hm? Can you not cook, Peach?”

“Well…technically, yes. But the only thing I’ve ever made was cake.”

“Why cake?”

“You know, I’ve been doing that for 30+ years and even I don’t know the answer.”

“I-I see…” Mio said with a sweatdrop.

“Well, at least the guild line is free. We won’t have to wait long.” I said.

“Yeah. I guess.” Peach said.

The three of us headed over to the counter and immediately were face-to-face with the brunette-haired lady from before. She looked rather happy to see us. Which was rather odd in my mind.

“Oh. There you two are. I was hoping you’ll show up again.”

“Huh? Really?” I asked the woman.

“And I see that you met Mio. _Good choice, if you ask me._ ” The woman said with a wink.

“C-Come on, Silvia. Don’t overexaggerate me.” Mio said with a light blush.

“Silvia?” We both asked.

“Oh, right. I never introduced myself. Yes, I am Silvia. Head commander of the guild. It is a pleasure to meet you both…Princesses Peach and Zelda.”

“ **Wh-Wh-What?!** ”

“ **Y-Y-You know about us?!** ”

“ ** _*giggle*_** I had my suspicions when I first saw you two yesterday. And when the orb revealed your identities, all of my questions were answered. In a way.”

“In a way?” Peach asked.

“Never mind that. After the orb revealed the results, I decided to play along with the act not knowing anything. That way I could discuss them with the other members.”

“H-Hey, Silvia. You didn’t tell the whole kingdom that Peach and Zelda are princesses, did you?” Mio asked.

“Don’t worry about it. I figured that they would want to keep that a secret. So I told the other ladies to not tell anyone outside the guild. Your secret’s safe with us.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” I said. “But that still doesn’t explain how that orb figured us out.”

“ ** _*giggle*_** That’s a secret exclusive to this world, Zelda.”

_This woman…she’s definitely not normal._

“Well, then. I do have your stats. We can go over them in the back, if you so choose.”

“ _ ***sigh***_ I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but…why not?” Peach said.

“We’ve come this far. No point turning back just because someone other than Mio found out our identities.” I added.

“ _Ooh._ This is getting interesting. Mind if I bring some snacks?” Mio asked.

“M-Mio…”

“Sure, go on ahead. This will be a long one. Much like a biography.” Silvia said.

“H-Hey…” Peach said.

“Well, anyway. Just follow me to the back, your highnesses.”

“Y-You don’t need to call us that…” I wanted to explain to her that we’re not princesses anymore, but I eventually gave up. And the three of us followed Silvia to the back of the building.

Where we’ll finally know what to do in this new world that we now call home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day two of their new normal lives is already proving to be a crazy one. Now the two former princesses are about to find out how strong are they compared to this world's physics.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	6. The Difference Between Skills & Ages

Uh…hey, Mio. What exactly are these snacks?” I asked as Zelda and I were staring at a bowl of chips that Mio had brought with her to the back of pub building with us.

“Oh, these? They’re Lemon-Lime Potato Chips.”

“ _Lemon-Lime Potato Chips?_ ” Neither one of us couldn’t believe such a flavor existed.

“They have a mix of lemons and limes and they’re really good. Come on, try on.”

Zelda and I looked at each other with a nervous look. Then each took a chip and placed it in our mouths.

…

…

“ **BLEH!!!** ”

“ **It’s so sour!** ” Zelda shouted. “ **I can’t feel my taste buds!** ”

“ **Water! I need water!** ” I shouted.

“Here you go.” Silvia said as she both gave us a bottle of water. We both gulped it down hard to get this torturous sour taste out of our mouths.

“ ** _*sigh*_** _Much better…_ ”

“Geez, you two. Overreact much?” Mio asked.

“Mio. Those chips are absolutely disgusting.” Zelda said.

“Hmph. Maybe it is to you two because you’re from different worlds.”

“I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with that.” I said.

“Alright, ladies. Let’s get into why we’re back here.” Silvia said.

_Oh, right. That._

We followed Silvia into the back where this guild stuff usually happens so that she could tell us what we can do in this kingdom. I’m still a bit upset that some weird orb revealed our identities to her. But she did promise not to tell. So the least we could do is trust her.

“Alright. Here’s what the orb came up with. Let’s start with the simple one. Zelda…”

“ **H-Hey, wait! Who are you calling “simple”?!** ” Zelda asked. But her question was ignored.

“You possess some very strong magic power. And your IQ is really impressive. One the highest I’ve seen since working here. Unfortunately, those are your only good stats. The rest are sub-par.”

“So…what does that all mean?”

“It means you could probably craft stuff like potions and other things.”

“Just potions?”

“Among other things. Why? You got something else in mind?”

“Uh, yeah! Check this out!”

Zelda then stood from her chair and snapped her fingers. Once she did that, a disembodied guardian suit of armor started appearing out of nowhere. Putting itself together as its purple glowing hue grew bigger.

“ _W-Woah…_ ” I heard Mio say next to me.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Ready for this? **Phantom Slash!** ”

The Phantom raised its sword and slashed it over our heads and slicing a nearby bookcase in half. It then fell apart and disappeared into its own dark shadow.

“ **H-Hey! Watch it with that thing!** ” I yelled.”

“Oops. Sorry, Peachy.” Zelda said with a cheeky smile.

“ _Woah!_ That was amazing! I’ve never seen anything like that!” Silvia yelled in excitement.

“It’s something I can do when I fight these other people we know in this competition called Sup-”

I quickly covered Zelda’s mouth and brought her over to the side while the other two were rather confused by the action.

“ _Zelda, please. They don’t need to know about Smash Bros._ ” I whispered.

“ _R-Right. We should probably keep that to ourselves._ ”

“Sorry about that. Just a bit of a misunderstanding.” I told the others.

“Right…” This was basically all Mio and Silvia could say to that.

“ _Anyway…_ ” Silvia continued. “That was Zelda’s. Peach, yours came up as a real offense type. Your physical power is really high. And your speed is above average. Though, I’m really shocked by your magic power. It’s just as high as Zelda’s, but you possess no magic powers.”

“O-Oh, that. Well, you see…”

“That’s because Peach learned something called PSI.”

“Geez, Zelda! I could’ve said that myself, you know!” I said to her.

“Huh? PSI?” Silvia asked.

“Hey, isn’t that the power you used to save me from those thugs yesterday?” Mio asked.

“Yeah, that’s it. I learn it from a friend of ours back in the day. He taught me all he knew. Or at least heard of.”

“Really? What are they?”

“Well, he only taught me 5 of them. In order, there’s PK Fire, PK Freeze, PK Flash, PK Thunder, and PK Starstorm.”

“ **He taught you PK Starstorm?!** ” Zelda asked in shock.

“That one was a bit hard to do. But I eventually got it down.”

“ _G-Geez, Peachy…_ ”

**_*giggle*_ ** _I really love blowing Zelda’s mind. It’s really fun to do._

“Okay, then.” Silvia said. “With all this done, you two are officially registered. You can start picking out jobs as early as tomorrow.”

“Picking out jobs?” I asked.

“How does that worked?” Zelda asked.

“Well…”

***ALARM SOUND***

“Woah! Look at the time! I gotta get back to work!”

“H-Huh?! B-But…”

“Don’t worry, girls. Mio will explain it to you. After all, she does this kind of stuff too.”

“You do?” I asked Mio, who replied with a nod.

“Welp. It was nice meeting you former princesses. Hope you enjoy your time in Mythgrove. See ya.” Silvia then rushed out of the room to return to her job. While the rest of us with confused looks on our faces.

“Well, that happened.” Zelda said.

“Now, what do we do? We can’t do anything until tomorrow, right?” I asked.

“Well, there’s still more of Mythgrove to see. I could show you guys around a bit more if you like.” Mio said.

“Wow thanks, Mio.”

**_*GROWL*_ **

“B-But…c-can we eat first? I haven’t eaten all morning.” Zelda said.

“What, those giant chicken legs from yesterday didn’t do the trick?” I asked her.

“N-No…w-well, I mean yes but…y-you see…sh-shut up!” She then started to blush from embarrassment.

“Alright, alright.”

_I could seriously get used to this._

 

After we ate some food (Zelda more than us two), Mio took us on a tour of what was left of Mythgrove that we didn’t see yesterday.

Which is still a lot.

We were now in an area of town called “The Square”. This is apparently where all the shops and whatever events that happen are at.

“Geez. It’s like there’s no end to this kingdom’s size.” I said.

“I know, right? It’s probably bigger than both of our kingdoms combined. The size is absolutely crazy.” Zelda said.

“Believe it or not, Mythgrove’s the smallest of the six kingdoms.” Mio said.

“ **Th-The smallest?!** ” Both of us yelled in shock.

“I don’t even want to know how big the other five are.” Zelda said.

“Well, you can just look at a book when you’re ready. I don’t really know, either.”

“I see…”

We did some looking around the area. Mostly looking at the shops that are pretty much 70% of this area. Way more than ours, I can tell you that.

“ _Ooh!_ Peach, check this out!” Zelda said as picked out this pink & white short sleeved sweater with a hood. “Is this cool or what?!”

“Yeah, I guess.” I replied. “Too bad we don’t have any…hey, Mio. What are Credits?” I asked her as I looked at the tag attached to it.

“It’s this kingdom’s currency. _Or in you two’s case, this world’s currency._ ” She whispered the last sentence.

“I see. So you don’t have any Credits to buy this, Zelda.”

“Aw, man! Don’t you have any, Mio?”

“Sorry, Zelda. I’m flat broke.”

“ ** _*whine*_** ”

“ **Ha!** So Palutena sent you two here with no money at all?! That is  **SO** like her!”

_That voice…_

Both Zelda and I turned to see one familiar face that we **_REALLY_** didn’t expect to see.

A person with really long blonde-ish hair made into a large ponytail.

“ **V-Viridi?!** ”

“ _Well, well, well. If it isn’t Zelda and Peach. How’s life being commoners going for ya?_ ”

“Can’t really say. We haven’t done much.” I said.

“ _Hmph. So pretty much like when you both were princesses, right?_ ”

“Well, no.” Zelda said with a smug. “We **_did_** get into a fight with a couple of strong thugs with swords and won.”

…

“Okay, that’s actually pretty cool.” Viridi said after thinking about it.

“Right?”

“Uh…guys. Do you know this girl?” Mio asked.

“Oh, right.” I said. “This is…”

“Greetings, young peasant. I am Viridi. The one and only Goddess of Nature. I’m what keeps your kind alive. So be very grateful.”

“Did you **_really_** have to say it like that?” I asked her.

“Goddess of Nature?” Mio asked. Then went silent for a bit.

What she said next was a real mind blower…

“Never heard of you.”

“ **WHAT?!** ”

…for Viridi.

“ **Wh-Wh-What do you mean you’ve never heard of me?! I’m a GODDESS for crying out loud!** ”

“A goddess? What’s that, a ranking?”

“ **A-A ranking?! Are you serious?!** ”

“M-Mio.” I tapped on her shoulder. “A goddess is a female deity associated with ideas like war, creation, and death.”

“And in Viridi’s case, she makes trees and stuff.” Zelda added.

“It’s not just “trees and stuff”.” Viridi got insulted. “I created everything a living thing needs to survive. And yet, she’s never heard of me?”

“Nope. Sorry. We don’t get much child prodigies over here.” Mio said.

“ ** _Ch-Child_ prodigy?!**”

_Aw, geez. Here we go…_

“ **I’ll have you know that I am WAY older than you think I am! I bet you can’t even guess how old I am!** ”

“I thought goddesses don’t reveal their ages.” Zelda said.

“Shut it.”

“Guess your age? I don’t know. Maybe like…10?”

“ **T-Ten?! I-I’m not 10! I just said I was older!** ”

“Older? So like 11?”

“No.”

“12?”

“No!”

…

“12.5?”

“ **12.5! You CANNOT be serious!** ”

“Gee you’re right, Viridi. Guessing a goddess’s age is hard.”

“ **You weren’t even trying!** ”

“How long is this going to go on?” Zelda asked me.

“I have no idea.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Whatever. I’m getting a headache from all this yelling.” Viridi said while finally calming down.

“What you even doing here, Viridi?” I asked.

“Oh, right. We come down here all the time to see what’s so good about these humans. Their food and fashion are really impressive. But based on my “conversation” with Mio, their knowledge on gods and goddesses is doomed beyond compare.”

“ _Hehhehhehheh…_ ” Mio laughed a little nervously. “Sorry.”

“Wait, what do you mean “we”?”

“ **Yo! Phosphora!** **_*snap*_** ”

“Yes? You called?” Then came Phosphora. Appearing out of nowhere with her electric powers.

_You have got to be kidding me…_

“Oh, wow! Peach and Zelda! **_Shocking_** seeing you two still around.”

“Really? That pun?”

“Aw come on, Peach. It was kinda funny.” Zelda said.

“And this is…” Mio asked.

“Lightning Flash Phosphora!” Viridi gloated. “One of my commanders in my Forces of Nature! And she also has the power to manipulate electricity for a number of purposes! Making her mighty powerful! **_Ahahahaha!_** ”

“ _Oh, you are just the **cutest** little thing! _Such long white hair! The pure white long-sleeved mini dress! The snow boots! And the sexy body to boot! You are just **_smoking_** _,_ sista!”

“Uh…thanks.” Was all Mio could say.

“Hey! Weren’t you paying attention?! I was busy gloating about you!” Viridi complained.

“Chillax, Mistress. I’m just trying to get reacquainted with the former princesses. And to get to know **_this_** stylish girl. So what’s your story, girlfriend? You live here?”

“Yes, I do. My name’s Mio. I’m 19-years-old and an ice mage.”

“A 19-year-old ice mage?! Holy **_sparks_**! You’re a lot like me! Though I use electricity instead. And I’m only 17-years-old, to be honest.”

“ _She’s 17?_ ” Zelda and I asked.

“Apparently.” Viridi answered with a facepalm.

“Wow! That’s really interesting, uh…Phosphora, was it? I always wanted to learn electric magic. Could you possibly teach me how?”

“Sure thing, Mi-”

“ **No way!** ” Viridi butted in. “ **That ain’t happening!** And besides, we’re done with our visit today.”

“ _Aw! But there was this really cute top that I wanted!_ ” Phosphora whined.

“Quit your whining! You got enough clothes!”

“ _Hmph. Cheap._ ”

“ **I heard that!** Anyway… _it was nice seeing you two again. Have fun being a part of the peasant folk!_ **_Ahahahahahaha!_** ”

Viridi took her wooden staff and slammed it on the floor in front of us. Letting her and Phosphora head back to their world.

…

…

But nothing happened.

“Huh?” Viridi got confused as she slammed the staff again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

But with the same result as the first attempt.

“H-Huh?! Wh-What the?! Why isn’t this working?!”

“ ** _*Magic depleted*_** ”

“ **Wh-What?! H-How is my magic depleted?!** ”

“ _Uh…hehhehhehheh…_ ” Phosphora laughed in a nervous way.

“ _Phosphora…what did you do?_ ” We could tell that Viridi was getting angry knowing that Phosphora had something to do with her staff not working.

“ _Well…_ my blow dryer wasn’t working and I was still recharging from the last battle we had with that angel of Palutena’s. _So…_ I took your staff and used to power it up. And I guess I kinda lost track at how much I used. Whoopsie.”

…

…

***BONK***

“Ow!”

***BONK***

“Ow!”

***BONK***

“Ow!”

“ _Phosphora, you **IDIOT!!!**_ ” Viridi shouted as she repeated whaled on her army commander with her now useless staff. While the rest of us looked on. Not sure if we should but in.

“So about this sweater…”

“Wrong time, Zelda.” I said to her. “ ** _Wrong_** time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sudden encounter with Viridi and Phosphora just add to the insanity that Peach and Zelda are already experiencing. And now, it looks like they're stuck here. More insanity.
> 
> According to the game’s wiki, it states that Phosphora looks either 16 or 17. Went with the latter because…well, no reason.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	7. Kingdom Battle Royale (Part 1)

“ ** _*whine*_** _I really wanted that hoodie!_ ”

“Quit whining already.” Peach told me as I was staring at my refection from the mirror back at the inn.

“ _But, Peachy! I really wanted it! It looked so different!_ ”

“Different?”

“That’s a first.” Mio added.

“Well, it was cool! And I **_really_** wanted to wear it!”

“I get that. But I’m not understanding the whole “different” part.”

“Don’t you feel anything, Peach?! I mean, you did win that promotional event earlier!”

“ _Ugh. Please don’t remind me._ ” Peach said as she covered her face in shame.

This promotional event happened shortly after running into Viridi and Phosphora (specifically, after Viridi was done hitting Phosphora in the head with her magicless staff). We were actually leaving when some group of bells went active. That’s when one of the workers told us that, essentially, Peach was their 1,000th customer. And had won a free outfit of her choice.

Peach, though…really didn’t want it. But Phosphora basically dragged her into it by claiming that she’s a “fashionista”.

Whatever that is.

Peach ended up with this tan-ish colored shirt (which in this world is called Peach. Pretty funny) while wearing a black sleeveless shirt underneath. It designed in a way that made her right shoulder exposed. She also got a pair of black shorts and some peach & white sneakers that…honestly look a bit worn-out.

_Maybe that’s a thing in this world?_

“I still can’t believe that there’s a color named after me.”

“It’s probably a coincidence.” Mio said.

“Probably.”

“Ah, who cares if it is?” Phosphora asked as she appeared in between us. “You look **WAY** better than what you were wearing before, Peach. I’d say that you’re… ** _electrifying_**.”

Peach sighed and facepalmed as a response to the pun Phosphora just made.

“Oh, cheer up, Peach. It wasn’t that bad.” I said to her.

“Easy for you to say, Zelda. You didn’t have to go through all that. it was rather embarrassing.”

“Hey, at least you got something from that store. I really wanted that hoodie.”

“Will you just let that go already?”

“You know, Zelda. I could’ve just bought that hoodie for ya.” Phosphora said.

“Really, Phosphora? You had Credits?”

“Credits? What are those? I just use Viridi’s goddess card for stuff like this. The thing has a  **TON**  of money on it.”

“I-I see…” I said with a sweatdrop.

_Viridi’s not going to like hearing that…_

“Speaking of which, is she still out there?” Peach asked.

We all looked outside the window and saw Viridi still outside in the middle of the path. Repeatedly slamming her staff on the ground.

“ _C-Come on…_ ”

***SLAM***

**_*Magic depleted*_ **

“ _Th-There has to be some left over…_ ”

***SLAM***

**_*Magic depleted*_ **

“ _I-I ***sniff*** just wanna go home…_”

***SLAM***

**_*What part of "magic depleted" do you not understand?*_ **

“ **D-Don’t get sassy with me!** ”

“You know, I kinda feel sorry for her.” Mio said.

“Nah, don’t be.” Phosphora said. “She’ll get over it. Hey, Mistress.”

“ ** _*sniff*_** _What?_ ” Viridi asked. Still facing away from us to hide the fact that she’s crying.

“This place has some great food. You sure you don’t want any?”

“ _I’m not hungry._ ”

“Really? Cause this stuff might make you bigger. _In more places than one._ ” Phosphora then winked at us. Holding in her laughter in the process.

“Does she mean…” I turned to Peach.

“Yeah. I think she does.”

“ _Wh-What do you mean by **THAT**?_” Viridi’s sadness was slowly turning into anger.

“ _Oh, nothing._ It’s just that **_maybe_** people would stop mistaking you as a kid if you were bigger. In height…weight…

…

… _chest_.”

“ _Oh. No. You. **DIDN’T!**_ ”

“Sorry, Mistress. But it is true. Right, ladies?”

“ _Uh…_ ”

“ _Well…_ ”

Peach and I were very hesitant to answer.

Mio, on the other hand...

“Well, you do look like a 12.5-yeard-old.”

“ **12.5 IS NOT A REAL AGE!!!** ”

"Mio. Read the mood." I whispered to her.

“Look, Viridi. Will you just come inside, already? We’ll figure something out about your staff tomorrow.” Peach said.

“A-Are you crazy?! I’m not sleeping in that commoner household! And I’m most certainly not going to eat their foo-”

**_*Growl*_ **

…

…

“ _D…Do they…h-have any vegetables?_ ”

“Tons.” I said.

“ _C-Coming._ ” Viridi said with a light blush of embarrassment on her face as she finally came inside the inn.

_Goddess of Nature - 0. Human Body - 1._

 

The next day, we were on our way back to the pub to see if Silvia knows anything about goddesses and magic. It seemed like a longshot. But if she can easily figure out that Peach and I were from different worlds, then it didn’t hurt to give it a shot.

“ _Ugh. I feel so dirty for sleeping on that bed._ ” Viridi complained.

 “Get over it, Viridi. It wasn’t that bad.” Peach said.

“Easy for you to say. You’re already used to it.”

“ _Aw come on, Mistress. You liked that bed._ ” Phosphora began teasing her. “ _Your thumb-sucking was proof enough._ ”

“Thumb-sucking?” The other three of us asked.

“ **Sh-Sh-Shut up! I-I was NOT doing that!** ” Viridi started to blush from embarrassment.

“That was you think, Mistress.” Phosphora said with a chuckle.

_And yet, she’s supposed to be **HER** lackey?_

“S-So where are we going, anyway?”

“To the local pub to ask a friend of ours if she knows what to do about your staff.” Mio said.

“Oh? You two already made friends?”

“Well…this one not normally.” Peach said.

“She figured out that we were from different worlds. As early as day 1.” I added.

“Day 1? Geez, what did you two do? Flaunt yourselves around like the pretty-pretty princesses you were?”

“ **N-No!** ” Peach and I were really insulted by the remark.

“Then what, then?” Phosphora asked.

“That’s the thing…she just did.”

“Huh?” Both were confused with my answer.

“You’ll see when you meet her.”

The five of us reached the pub and when we got inside, it was packed. And I mean more packed than it was the other two days. We saw that a bunch of people were gathering up around the guild area. Standing in line with a weapon of some sorts.

“Whoa. What’s going on here?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot. It’s that time of year again.” Mio said.

“Huh? That time of year?”

“Oh. There you three are.”

We saw Silvia heading towards us carrying a weird-looking staff and wearing some pointy hat. It was rather odd to the both of us. But then again, she’s a weird woman.

“Silvia, what’s with the getup?” Peach asked.

“Something special. Kinda like how you got two other people from a different world right now. Ain’t that right, Viridi and Phosphora?”

“ **H-Huh?!** ” Viridi was shocked to hear this.

“ **H-How did you know our names?!** ” Phosphora asked.

“Like we said, she just does.”

“Alright, human. What kind of witchcraft are you doing?” Viridi demanded.

“How did witchcraft become your first guess?” I asked her.

“Well, duh. How else would she know that I’m the Goddess of Nature?”

“Goddess of Nature?” Silvia asked. “Never heard of that.”

“ **Are you kidding me?! Is no one in this world aware of the life of a goddess?!** ”

“A goddess? So you’re not a 12.5-year-old?”

“ **Why does everyone here think 12.5 is a real age?!** ”

“This is fun to watch.” Phosphora said.

“ **Quiet, you!** ”

“So, Silvia. The outfit.” Peach reminded her.

“Oh, right. I’m wearing this because today’s a special day for Mythgrove. The 387th Annual Kingdom Battle Royale.”

“Kingdom Battle Royale?” Four of us asked.

“It’s a tournament-style event held by the royal families of each of the six kingdoms.” Mio explained. “Residents of each kingdom participate in a kingdom-wide tournament. And the winner of each gets a special prize.”

“It changes from year to year. But this year’s prize is a wish of your desires.” Silvia added.

“A wish of your desires?”

“Ha! That’s it!" Viridi yelled. "If I win this Battle Royale thing, I can wish for my staff to be fixed! It’s foolproof! ** _Ahahahahahaha!_** ”

“How are you going to do that without any magic?” Phosphora asked.

“Easy. You four are doing it.”

“ **What?!** ” Peach and I shouted.

“ **H-Hold on, Viridi! Don’t go dragging us into this!** ” Peach said.

“ **Yeah! We had nothing to do with your staff losing power!** ” I added.

“I know. But with four people competing for me, I have four chances of getting back home. So there.”

“Can we even make teams?”

“Teams aren’t official. But nobody has to know that you guys are doing it for the same goal.” Silvia said.

“Yeah, but…”

“Oh, come on. Give it a shot, you two. It’ll be a great way to show off your powers to the rest of the kingdom. Who knows. Maybe even the royal family will take notice.”

“Silvia, that’s the last thing we want.” Peach said with a sweatdrop.

“Well, Peach. I am still curious about this PSI thing you have.” Mio said.

“Wait, what? You know PSI?” Viridi asked.

“Oh, yeah. Lucas taught me a few of them back then.”

“From Lucas? Wow, I always thought Ness was the non-shy one.”

“ _Aw, lucky. How did you get Lucas to talk to you? I can never get a single word out of him._ ” Phosphora whined.

“That’s probably because you keep brushing up on him.”

“I’m only trying to man him up a little.”

“He’s 13, Phosphora.” I said.

“Still could work. I’m only four years older.”

“No.” The three of us rejected the idea.

“So how bout it, girls? Wanna give it a shot?” Silvia asked.

“Don’t worry, guys.” Mio said. “I’ll help you out. I got 2nd place last year. So I’m quite experienced.”

“How did you get 2nd” I asked.

Mio then signaled us to get closer.

“ _Not that many people here know how to resist ice magic. ***giggle***_ ”

“ _Whoa…_ ” The four of us said.

“So…what do you think, Peachy?” I asked her.

“Well…I guess I can do it. I mean, fighting those thugs was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“Right? That was fun. And you wanted to call an officer.”

“Okay. I get it.”

“ _So?_ ”

“Alright, Silvia. We’ll do it.” I said. “Where do we sign up?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I already did that for you.”

“ **HUH?!** ” We all shouted.

“ **So we were gonna have to participate in this thing whether or not we agreed to it?!** ” Peach yelled.

“Not cool, girl.” Phosphora added.

“Sorry. But what can I say? You two interest me. A lot, actually. I figured this would be a way to find out more about your strengths and such.”

“What for?” I asked.

“Can’t really say just yet.”

“Hmm…”

_This woman’s hiding something. I just can’t figure out what._

“Ah, whatever.” Viridi said. “What’s important is that I get to go home soon. When does this start, anyway?”

“In a few hours, actually. The arena is still being set up at the castle.”

“C-Castle?” Peach asked.

“S-So, we’re gonna have to go inside that castle at the end of town?” I asked.

“That’s where it’s held every year.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** ”

“Aw, cheer up, Peach. At least it won’t be a “Your princess is in another castle” situation.” Phosphora said.

“ **Why’d you had to bring that up?!** ”

“Uh…how many times has Peach been kidnapped?” Mio asked me.

“In a 30-year timespan…too many to count.” I said with an exasperated look on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Mythgrove Kingdom Battle Royale is starting soon. And the grand prize is a wish of one's desires. Peach, Zelda, Mio, and Phosphora participate to win such a prize. In this special 4-part event.
> 
> This is indeed a 4-parter. Was going to be 3. But I don't think it would've worked with that limit. Part 2 will come soon. Thanks for reading. Later.


	8. Kingdom Battle Royale (Part 2)

After learning about this Battle Royale thing from Silvia, the five of us (guided by Mio) headed for the one place Zelda and I never wanted to step foot in even again.

A castle. Of any kind, really. We weren’t really picky about it.

“Welp, here it is.” Mio said. “Mythgrove Castle. The setting of its annual Battle Royale.”

“Holy God, this place is fancy!” Phosphora shouted in excitement at the sight of the thing. “Might even be better than your place, Mistress.”

“If you’re so confident with that statement, then you can stay while I go home.” Viridi retorted. Clearly sounding insulted from Phosphora’s remark.

“Wh-What?! No way! My favorite blow-dryer is still there!”

“ **That’s** your main concern?”

“A-And of course, serving to you, Mistress.”

“Are you two going to be okay?” Mio asked Zelda and I.

“I mean…we should be fine.” Zelda said. “We’re basically only visiting, right, Peachy?”

“I guess. As long as this Battle Royale thing doesn’t drag on. How long does this usually last?”

“There’s two rounds, the semi-finals, and then the grand final. There are roughly 16 people who enter the tournament. So, by mathematical terms, there will be 15 battles in this royale.”

“15?! I don’t wanna fight 15 people!” Zelda whined.

“You don’t fight all of them. 4 wins in a row is how you become champion.”

“Just 4? So then, that means that they’re all 1-on-1 battles, am I right?” Viridi asked.

“That’s correct.”

“See? You two have nothing to worry about. Just beat 4 of these human commoners in a row and you’ll be done. Plain and simple.”

“Should be easy if you two use your sma…”

“ **Nononononononono!** ” We quickly covered up Phosphora’s mouth as we pushed the two aside. Far enough to where Mio couldn’t hear us.

“ _Guys. We **REALLY** don’t want this world to know about Smash Bros. It just feels too risky._” I explained.

“ _Right._ ”

“ _Gotcha._ ” Both Viridi and Phosphora seemed to understand the reason on why **THAT** game should never be brought up in this world.

“Uh…what was that all about?” Mio asked.

“N-Nothing.” Zelda quickly responded. “Just a bunch of other-worldly stuff.”

“No need to worry that human head of yours.” Viridi added.

…

Mio looked liked she didn’t believe it. And knowing how smart she is, she probably didn’t. But I guess she also knew that she would never get an answer out from us. So she just left it alone.

For now.

 _*Attention, everyone._ _The 387th Annual Mythgrove Kingdom Battle Royale_ _is about to begin. Fighters participating this year please report to the lower section of the castle. Everyone else to the higher section. Thank you, and enjoy the tournament.*_

“Oh. It’s almost time.” Mio said. Already forgetting about the incident.

“ **Yes! Alright, ladies! Go in there and win me my magic power back! Give them all you got!** ” Viridi shouted. Before calming down a little.

“ ***clears throat*** And I expect double from you, Phosphora.”

“What?! Why do I gotta do more work?!”

“Do I need to remind you with a few more whacks to the head? Cause I’m game.”

“ ** _*whine*_** _No way! You’re too cruel, Mistress!_ ”

“Welp! I’m ready to fight! Aren’t you, Peachy?” Zelda asked me.

“This should be fun, right?” Mio asked.

“Well…” I thought about it. “…To be honest, I am pretty excited for it. It’ll definitely be a new experience for me.”

“Alright! Let’s go!” Zelda cheered as she ran inside the castle.

“Z-Zelda! Don’t just run inside like that!” I yelled. Then facepalmed hard once we couldn’t see her anymore.

“Zelda seems a lot more childish now that she’s not a princess anymore.” Viridi said.

“ _Trust me, Viridi. You have no idea._ ” I replied.

 

The rest of us went inside and caught up with Zelda (who didn’t go very far in the first place). The interior of the castle was really pretty. Everything was either red, white, gold, or a mix of the three. Very expensive chandeliers hanged from the ceiling every few steps we’ve taken. And down this long hallway we were walking in was portrait after portrait of people I don’t know.

“You think these are past rulers of this kingdom?” Zelda asked me.

“Probably. This kingdom’s history looks rather huge. I don’t think the Mushroom Kingdom is even half this kingdom’s age.”

“Well, at least you can recall your kingdom’s history.”

“You can’t?”

“No, not really. From what I’ve been told, I’m just a reincarnation. There are multiple Zeldas, multiple Links, multiple Ganons; spread out across dimensions and kept in control by a very confusing timeline.”

“Oh, yeah. That timeline. I tried reading it…and got lost at Ocarina of Time. Why did you make that part so messed-up?”

“Hey, don’t blame me. Blame that particular Zelda. She made it better or worse, depending on how you look at it.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“So what can you remember from yours?”

“Hmm…not much. I remember the day when King Koopa, Bowser’s name back then, and his “Koopa Troop” _honestly, that name…_ turned all the Mushroom People, aka Toads, into bricks and stuff using some kind of dark magic. And since I had had light magic and thus a way to reverse it, the king kidnapped me and held me in his castle…

…for the first time.

And then Mario had to come rescue me…

 _…for the first time._ ”

“Right. It all started with that _first time._ ” Zelda said. Just as annoyed as I was.

“But anything before that, I don’t have a clue. I don’t even know who my parents are or my actual age.”

“You don’t know your age?” Mio asked me.

_Was she listening the whole time?!_

“No. Not really. Despite being around for 30+ years, I have no idea how old I am. Why, is that a problem?”

“Peach…they do first round matchmaking base on ages. If you can’t give them an age, then you can’t participate.”

“Seriously? That’s a thing?”

“Gah! Really?! _I swear, humans these day…_ hurry up and pick an age, Peach!” Viridi yelled.

“Pick an age? It’s not that easy, Viridi. I don’t even know where to base it on.”

“Well, you and Zelda were born around the same time. How old are you?”

“It honestly depends on the whole reincarnation thing. But based on what I look like right now, I’d have to say…19? I guess.”

“Oh. The same age as me.” Mio said with a smile.

“Alright!” The two then high-fived each other in glee.

“Well, there you go, Peach. Just be a 19-year-old.” Viridi said.

“But I look nothing like a 19-year-old!”

“ _And just what is your vision of a 19-year-old?_ ” Both Zelda and Mio asked while feeling a little insulted.

“W-Well, I…c-can we not talk about this now?!”

“ ** _*groan*_** ”

“Why does it matter that you don’t look 19, Peach?” Phosphora asked. “I mean, it’s not like they’re going to find it on Goomble or something. I bet they don’t even have Goomble here.”

“What’s Goomble?” Mio asked.

“See? Nothing to worry about.”

I gave this much thought while completely ignoring Mio’s question. And as much as it pained me to say this, especially about someone like Phosphora, she did had a point.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Alright, I guess. Being 19-years-old shouldn’t be that hard.”

_Hopefully…_

“Alright, Peachy! Welcome to the club!” Zelda cheered.

“We’ll be sure to make you feel welcomed.” Mio added.

“Don’t patronize me, you two.” I said with an exasperated tone.

As we continued to walk through the castle, one of the guild workers had recognized us and gave Zelda, Phosphora, and I a quick explanation on how the first round usually works. Then she guided us to the waiting area where the other fighters were waiting. Finally, she gave us the list of the first round combatants based on their ages.

And then, just for fun, on our sheet it showed Viridi’s “supposed age” in this world.

“13? Hmph. Not the age **_I_** would’ve gone with. But it sure does beat 12.5.” Viridi seemed happy about the guessed human age. And now that I look at her more…it kinda does fit.

“Oh, come on. I’m sure it could’ve worked out in some way.” Mio said.

“Mio. Stop.”

“Well, anyway…looking at the bracket, there’s going to be 4 groups in this round.” Then Mio noticed something interesting. “And it looks like Phosphora’s up first.”

“ ** _*giggle*_** Awesome! I’m ready to give these people all the good stuff! Watch me **_real_** good, Mistress!”

“D-Don’t say it like that!” Viridi scolded her servant.

“Kinda makes sense that she’s going first.” Zelda said.

“I guess. We can probably learn from her.” I added.

“Good luck, Phosphora. We’ll be cheering for you.” Mio said.

“Aw. Thanks a bunch, girlfriend!” Phosphora said with a mixed look of excitement and…even more excitement.

_She’s definitely going to kill somebody…_

 

Mio took us three to the arena where the fight was going to happen and eventually found some seats. There were people of all ages cheering as loud as they possibly could for their current age. It was honestly pretty impressive. It even gave us a full grasp on exactly how many people were residents in this kingdom.

“ _Woah! There’s so many people here!_ ” Zelda yelled.

“I know, right? Is the entire kingdom watching this?”

“Most likely.” Mio said. “This is a very important event here in Mythgrove. Some even treat it as a holiday.”

“What? You guys see people battling each other as a holiday?” Viridi asked. “Sheesh. This world…it’s questionable on so many levels.”

“Says the Goddess that lives in a tree.” I said.

“H-Hey!”

“No…way! Peach! Zelda! Viridi! Is it really you three?!”

We looked over to see who it was that said that. and the person standing next to us was someone we **NEVER EXPECTED TO BE HERE**.

“W-Wait! Wh-What the?!” Viridi and I yelled in total shock.

“ **Holy God! Moon!** ” Zelda cheered as she hugged the girl and vise-verse.

This girl was Moon. A Pokémon trainer who often gets herself into some weird and easily unexplainable situations back in her world. She and her Pokémon are always battling others to become the new champion. Though, I think she already is.

Also, her real name is Mizuki. But everyone calls her Moon for some reason. She doesn’t seem to mind, though.

“This is crazy! I never thought I would see you here, Moon!” Zelda cheered some more.

“I know, right?! It’s so exciting to see you guys again!”

“Um, hello? Moon… **WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!** ” I shouted. Letting my entire confusion out on this girl.

“I’ve heard so many rumors of a big battle tournament that takes place in a different world. And the more I heard, the more I wanted to take part in it. So after finally finding the world that this event takes place in, I came almost immediately. I was so excited to finally be a part of this “Battle Royale” thing. But then I was met with disappointment when one of the ladies running it said that I can’t use my “animals” to fight for me. That’s ridiculous! For one, they’re **Pokémon**! Not animals!”

_Well, to be fair…most of them do look like animals._

“It still doesn’t really explain how you got here.” Viridi said.

“Oh, right. I used this thing.” Moon then dug into her waist bag and took out something we thought would never be in her hands.

Like ever.

“M-Moon…th-that’s…” I said.

“Th-That’s a…Ph-Phantom Ruby…” Zelda said.

“ **How in Goddess’s name do you have one?!** ” Viridi yelled.

“Easy. I got it off Goomble. There’s a whole bunch of them selling online. Cheap, too.”

“Sheesh. If you can get a Phantom Ruby off of Goomble, then I’m scared to know what else is there.” Zelda said.

“Me too.” Viridi and I agreed.

“Okay, seriously. What is this Goomble?” Mio asked. But once again, her question went unanswered.

_Goomble is not a normal website…_

“And so, with my recent dream crushed, I decided to stay and at least watch how this thing works. But I never thought I would see you guys here! To think this would be the same world where you two ran away to! What luck, am I right?!”

“W-Wait, hold on. You knew that we ran away?”

“Of course, I did. In fact, everyone knows at this point. It’s all over the different news stations back there. People are freaking out that you’ve been gone for this long. It’s a new record that they can’t get used to.”

“Aw, geez.” I said with a saddened sigh.

“So, they figured it out, huh?” Zelda asked. Just as sad. “Is anyone looking for us?”

“Probably. I left an hour after the whole thing went public.”

“Welp. Our secret of disappearing didn’t last as long as we’d hope it would.” I said.

“Yeah, but you gotta admit, Peachy. 3 days is pretty impressive. Even for our standards.” Zelda said.

“Yeah, true.”

“By the way…” Moon continued. “I get why you two are here, but why is Viridi here with you?”

“Because stupid Phosphora used up all my magic from my staff and now we’re both stuck here.”

“Phosphora’s here, too?”

“Yeah, girl. She’s down there about to fight her first opponent.” Zelda said.

“The three of us are also taking part in the tournament.” Mio added.

“Wow, really? Well, thanks for the info, uh…”

“The name’s Mio, by the way.”

“I see now. Well, nice to meet you, Mio.”

“Same to you, Moon.” Both girls introduced each other with a smile.

We then heard the sound of a mic being turned on and turned our attention to the center arena. Where there was a woman standing in the middle of it.

A woman that looked all to familiar to us.

“Isn’t that Silvia?” I asked.

“She’s must be the Master of Ceremonies this year.” Mio said.

“I see…”

“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Welcome to the 387th Annual Mythgrove Kingdom Battle Royale!”

***crowd cheers***

“My name is Silvia, and I’m your Master of Ceremonies for this year’s tournament! And here today in the audience are the great King and Queen of our fair kingdom! Sitting in their respected thrones as usual.”

The crowd cheered louder once the King and Queen were shown with a spotlight. The two waved as they were praised by mostly the entire audience.

“Whoa. So that’s the King and Queen, huh?” Zelda asked in amazement.

“That’s King Gylbart Renfred XVII and his wife Queen Christy Renfred. The two have ruled Mythgrove together for nearly 25 years.” Mio explained.

“25 years? That’s impressive for a couple of humans.” Viridi said.

“They look really nice together.” Moon added.

“Unfortunately, poor little Princess Hanako has come down with a cold. So she won’t be enjoying the tournament with us. Please send out your condolences for her to get better.”

“Princess Hanako?” The four of us asked.

“She’s the daughter of the King & Queen and the princess of Mythgrove. I’ve met her a few times. She can be rather shy.”

“Interesting.” I said.

_So this world does have a princess. Wonder if she enjoys her title._

“Anyway, I’m sure you all are just as excited as I am right now! So let’s get on with our first match of Round 1! Fighters, come on out!”

The metal doors opened up and out came the two participants of the first matchup. One of them being Phosphora. And the crowd…mainly the men…kinda went overboard.

***cheering intensifies***

***whistling intensifies***

***weird complimenting intensifies***

“Oh, for Goddess’s sake… **she’s 17, you animals!** ” Viridi shouted in disgust.

“ _She’s 17?_ ” Moon asked.

“Apparently.” Zelda and I replied.

Her opponent looked like to be a man in his late 20’s dressed up in armor and wielding a sword of some kind. The armor looked buffed. And the sword was kinda bigger than he was.

“Woah. He looks pretty strong.” Moon said.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Mio agreed.

“Ha. This human has no chance against one of my top commanders in my Forces of Nature! He’s just wasting his time!” Viridi gloated.

“This is going to be one interesting fight don’t you think, Peachy?” Zelda asked.

“Yeah. No doubt about that, Zelda.”

“Fighters! Are you ready?!” Silvia asked.

Both Phosphora and the swordsman gave a nod of readiness.

“Okay. The with the King, Queen, and everyone in the audience as my witness, let the Mythgrove Battle Royale… **BEGIN!** ”

The bell rang repeatedly as the first round of the tournament went underway.

_But little did I know, by the end of this tournament, a whole new problem will stir up in our lives as former princesses…_

_…One that we couldn’t prepare for._    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Battle Royale is finally underway! And with an unexpected friend joining them, Peach and Zelda watch on as the first match begins right in front of them. Who will win? The answer coming soon.
> 
> Also, think of Goomble as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, & YouTube mixed together. It is indeed not a normal website.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	9. Kingdom Battle Royale (Part 3)

 

“ **Finishing blow!** ”

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

“ _Gak. A-A crushing defeat…_ ”

“ _And…this battle’s winner is…_ **Phosphora!** ” Silvia cheered over the microphone.

***cheering intensifies***

“ ** _*giggle*_** Thank you, my adoring fans! Glad you enjoyed my fighting style!” Phosphora said.

“Your fighting style isn’t the only thing they’re adoring, Phosphora…” Viridi said with a facepalm.

“ **Whoa! That was awesome! I’ve never seen such fighting before!** ” Moon cheered.

“ **I know, right?! I’ve heard Phosphora was strong! But to this extent was pretty freaking amazing!** ” I cheered with her.

“I gotta admit.” Peach said. “Despite being…not as bright, she’s pretty powerful.”

“I can agree with that, Peach.” Mio added.

“Ha! See, what did I tell you girls? That human didn’t stand a chance!” Viridi gloated.

“Good fight all-around, fighters!” Silvia continued. “Now, we’ll take a 10-minute recess before the next fight. Don’t miss out, now!”

“Let’s go meet Phosphora back in the waiting room.” Mio said. With the rest of us agreeing.

***SOME TIME LATER…***

“ **OH, YEAH! THAT WAS ELECTRIFYING!** ”

“Again with the puns?” Peach asked as Phosphora came bursting through the door. Filled with excitement from that last fight.

“Congratulations, Phosphora.” I said.

“That was a really nice battle.” Mio said.

“I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.” Moon said.

“ ** _*giggle*_** _Why thank you, Zelda, Mio, and…_ wait, Moon?! What are you doing here?!”

“I wanted to be in it, too. But I was denied. Saying how I can’t use my “Animals” as a way to fight. Can you believe such an excuse?”

“What? That’s ridiculous, girl. I would go and file a complaint.”

“Huh, Maybe I should.”

“Moon. I’m pretty sure they have **_very valid reasons_** for not allowing you to use your Pokémon in this tournament.” I said to her.

“Valid?”

“Most of them are based on actual animals.” Peach said.

“And I’m pretty sure they have some kind of anti-animal cruelty law in this world.” Viridi added.

“W-Well, yeah. But… ** _*sigh*_** Alright, I see your point. I’ll just send them back.”

Moon took out her Pokémon (already inside their Pokéballs) from her bag. Then she used the Phantom Ruby she had to send them back to her world.

I’m not sure how that works. But apparently, it does.

…

…

“How does she have a Phantom Ruby?” Phosphora asked.

“Apparently, you can buy them off Goomble.” I said.

“Really? Well, I know what I’m doing when I get back home.”

“Phosphora, no.” Viridi retorted.

“So, who’s the next one to fight?” I asked.

“Uh…w-wow. I-It’s actually you, Zelda.” Mio said after looking at the sheet of paper.

“Really? I’m next?”

“Says here you’re going up against…n-no way!”

“What? What is it?”

“You’re going up against the running champ of the past 5 Battle Royales. A skilled yet secretive fighter known as…the Phantom Fighter.”

“The Phantom Fighter?” We all asked.

“She uses a mix of martial arts and shadow magic as her way of fighting. Which are two forms of attacking that no one can fight against. Thus, making her unbeatable for so long. She’s the reason why I got 2nd place last year.”

“Woah. That sounds tough.” Moon said.

“Sounds like you’re done for, Zelda.” Viridi said.

“What? Please. I can take her on. And I’m positive that I can beat her, too.”

“Do you…truly believe that?”

“Huh?”

We were interrupted when we noticed a small girl standing behind us. Well, I wouldn’t say small. She’s about the same height as Moon, who’s probably an inch or two shorter than Peach, Mio, and I.

She wore some kind of…shrine maiden outfit, I think it was. Only the skirt was shorter than normal, I think. Like it was a few inches above her knees. She also wore a black scarf around her neck.

And then she wore a mask over her face. It kept her short black hair exposed. So I was wondering how it was staying on her face like that.

_Now that I look at it…that mask looks familiar._

“Hey. Who are you? Don’t you know that it’s rude to eavesdrop on people, kid?” Viridi asked.

“ _Viridi! Don’t be rude!_ ” Mio whispered to her.

“Why? She’s just a kid.”

“ _Because **THAT’S** the Phantom Fighter!_”

“What?!” The rest of us were shocked.

“Seriously?! This kid?!” Viridi asked.

“ ***clears throat*** I would appreciate it if you would stop referring to me as a kid, thank you.” The masked girl said. Sounding a little insulted.

“S-Sorry. She’s always like that.” I said. “So, you’re this _Phantom Fighter_ I’ve recently heard about, huh? Nice to meet ya. I’m…”

“You’re…Zelda. Am I right?”

“Huh? Y-You already know my name?”

“Well, it is on the sheet, Zelda.” Peach said to me.

“O-Oh, right.”

“So, um…Ms. Phantom Fighter. Can I ask you something? Where did you get that mask?”

“I…It’s a secret. I cannot tell you, I’m afraid.”

“I see…” Peach had a look of suspicion on her face. As if she knew something about her mask.

_Seriously, why does it look familiar?_

“That last battle was truly something. You really do hold some intense power.” The girl said to Phosphora.

“Why, thank you. They don’t call me Lightning Flash Phosphora for nothing, you know. **_*giggle*_** ”

“I see…”

“You know…for someone as powerful as you, you’re a bit of a cutie. Kinda like Viridi here. Anyone ever told you that?”

“ **Ph-Phosphora!** ” Viridi yelled.

“Uh…s-sure. I-I guess I can say that I have. Th-Thank you for the compliment.”

“Wow, you’re so polite, too. You’re definitely sweeter than Viridi, that’s for sure.”

“ _You’re **REALLY** pushing it, Phosphora!_” Viridi was slowly getting angry at the insults she’s been getting recently. From her own servant, no less.

_*Attention, everyone. Round 1 fight 2 of the 387th Annual Mythgrove Kingdom Battle Royale is about to begin. Fighters participating in this match-up please get ready and meet up in the arena. Thank you, and enjoy the tournament.*_

“It’s time.” Mio said.

“Indeed it is.” The girl added. “I sense a great power from you, Zelda. I am truly excited for our match.”

“Me too. Good luck to us both, alright?”

…

…

“Y-Yes. T-To us both.” The Phantom Fighter said a somewhat nervous state. Then headed off to the arena.

“Well…she seems nice.” I said.

“ ** _*sigh*_** You don’t get it, do you?” Viridi asked.

“Get what?”

“She’s playing you, Zelda. Trying to get your guard down so that she can beat you easily. It’s all an act.”

“Oh, come on, Viridi. Do you really think someone like her can be that deceiving? I mean, she’s so young. Probably the same age as Moon.”

Then a sudden thought came to mind.

“Hey, Moon. How old are you?”

“14.”

“Really?”

“You look younger.” Phosphora added.

“I get that a lot. Most Pokémon trainers tend to look like 10-year-olds.”

“W-Wow.” The rest of us gained a sweatdrop of total shock.

“A-Anyway…I’m sure that girl’s just fine. She seemed so sweet.”

“And suspicious.” Peach added.

“Huh? What do you mean, Peachy?”

“That mask she was wearing. That was clearly a Phanto mask.”

“ **Phanto! I knew that thing looked familiar!** ”

“Phanto? You mean those haunted masks that follow you if you have a key of sorts?” Moon asked.

“ _Y-You have such a thing in your world, Peach?_ ” Mio asked. Sounding terrified.

“Yeah. They can be rather annoying. And they’re hard to get rid of. I haven’t seen them in years due to them only appearing in caves. But to see one in this world…even though it doesn’t seem to do anything. Just where did she get that from?”

“Bah. Who cares?” Viridi asked. “If it really doesn’t do anything as you said, then we got nothing to worry about.”

“You say that, but…”

“Oh relax, Peach. I got this.” I said. “After all, if this Phantom Fighter girl uses shadow magic, then I can counter it with my light magic. No problem.”

“Isn’t it also vise-versa?” Mio asked.

“M-Mio! You’re not helping!”

“Zelda! You’re up!”

“Coming!” I responded to one of the guild members.

“Good luck, Zelda.” Mio said.

“We’ll be rooting for you, girl.” Moon added.

“Thanks, you guys.”

I looked over at Peach. Who had a worried look on her face. Probably still thinking about the Phanto mask and how one got into the hands of a little girl.

“Peach. Everything will be fine. I got this.” I said to her.

“Z-Zelda… ** _*sigh*_** just be careful.”

I gave my best friend one last smile better heading off to the arena. Wanting to ease her worriedness about this whole thing.

_And to win this fight, of course. ***giggle***_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say here. Just wanted to update the story. Thanks for reading.


	10. Kingdom Battle Royale (Part 4)

“ _Welcome back, everyone! Round 1, fight 2 of the Mythgrove Battle Royal starts in just 5 minutes!_ ” Silvia cheered over the microphone.

“So, in just five minutes, Zelda and this Phantom Fighter girl will be on this arena fighting each other. **_*sigh*_** I honestly have my doubts on this one.”

“Don’t jinx it, Peach! I really need that wish!” Viridi yelled at me.

“You’re forgetting that this is Zelda we’re talking about. Sure, she has magical powers and stuff to that nature. But other than… ** _THAT_** move set, she just as defenseless as me.”

(By the way, the four of us had already informed Moon on never mentioning Smash Bros. in this world. And she agreed that it’s just too risky.)

“Cheer up, Peach. I’m sure Zelda will win.” Phosphora said.

“Well…Peach does have a point.” Mio said.

“Huh? What do you mean, Mio?”

“Like I said, the Phantom Fighter has never lost a battle in this tournament for 5 years straight. She’s a pro. Not just at martial arts, but at using shadow magic as well. And from what I saw from Zelda when she and Peach rescued me…sure, she’s powerful. But nothing compared to the Phantom Fighter. This could be it for her.”

“Geez. Way to bring the mood down drastically, Mio.” Viridi said.

“Aw, come on, girls. Cheer up.” Moon said. “Even if Zelda does lose, we can still celebrate with these cakes I brought with me. They’re really good, too.”

“You brought cake?”

“ _Ooh!_ I want cake, too!” Phosphora cheered.

“Well, I am getting kinda hungry.” Mio said.

“You want one, Peach?” Moon asked me.

“No. None for me. I’m just about sick of cake. Seeing it, making it, eating it. I’m flat out **done** with it.”

“Understandable.”

Moon started digging in her bag for the cake. But then grew a confused look on her face.

“Huh? Hey, where did all the cake go? I had it all in my bag.”

Then without warning, the bag began to move by hopping up and down from the chair it was on.

“Cool. Possessed bag.” Phosphora said.

“How is that cool?” I asked her.

Then something popped out of the bag. Only just it’s head. But those of us that weren’t Mio knew what it was.

“Aipom! Aipom!”

“What the? Aipom! Did you escape from your Pokéball again?!” Moon asked.

“Aipom!”

“So, is this…” Mio asked.

“Yeah. This a Pokémon. They’re creatures that roam around in my world. And this particular one is my partner, Aipom. He’s a…rambunctious one, I can tell you that.”

“I see. Well, he’s really cute.”

“Aipom!”

“So, where’s the cake?” Phosphora asked.

“Let me guess. You ate it all didn’t you, Aipom?” Moon asked her Pokémon.

“Aipom!”

“ ** _*sigh*_** _You greedy little…what am I going to do with you?_ ”

“Aipom, Aipom! Aipom! Aipom!”

“Hilarious.”

If it isn’t clear up to this point, Moon is the only person that can understand Aipom. So, to the rest of us, all we hear is “Aipom”.

To some, it may seem bad that we can’t understand him. But I’ve seen the two of them get into some really serious arguments based on whatever Aipom really means when he repeats his name like that.

And for that reason, I’m glad that I can’t understand him.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Whatever. Just stay in the bag until this is over, okay?”

“Aipom Aipom!”

“ _And…_ we’re back, everyone!” Silvia came back onto the microphone. “I’m sure you all are just as excited as I am after that break! So let’s get on with the second match of Round 1! Fighters, come on out!”

“It’s starting!” Mio said.

“Come on, Zelda!”

“You can do it, Zelda!” Phosphora and Moon cheered.

“Hey. Do you still have hopes for Zelda winning this?” Viridi asked me.

“Well…a little.” I then looked at the center arena as I made a great big sigh.

_Zelda. You better know what you’re up against…_

 

***CHANGE OF POV***

“ _Woah!_ This place is bigger than I thought!” I said as I stepped out from behind the gate and into the arena battlefield. The sounds of people cheering for a battle only made my excitement grow.

As for the first time in…who knows how long, I’m fighting by myself for once! No Link to fight for me and make me look weak! No Ganon to keep me cornered!

It’s just me and my **OWN** opponent!

Which, by the way…I’m about to meet face-to-face.

As I reached the center of the arena, I was standing directly in front of the Phantom Fighter. And even with her being a little shorter than me, that Phanto mask seems really intimidating.

_Wait. Didn’t Mio say that this girl has shadow magic? Could she be getting it from the Phanto mask?_

“Zelda? You’re going up against **_THE_** Phantom Fighter?” Silvia asked me.

“Yep. And I plan on winning, too.”

“Y-You…seem confident, Zelda. I am ever so excited for this battle.” The girl said from behind the mask.

“Wow. That’s gotta be the first time I’ve heard her talk. She must really respect you, Zelda.”

“You think?” I kept questioning Silvia’s words in my mind. It did seem kinda odd that someone like her took a liking to me at first glance.

_Maybe Viridi was right about being played._

***RUMBLE***

“Alright! Fighters, are you ready?!” Silvia yelled over the microphone.

“I’m ready!” I cheered.

“Indeed, I am.” The Phantom Fighter responded.

***RUMBLE***

“Okay. The with the King, Queen, and everyone in the audience as my witness, let fight 2 the Mythgrove Battle Royale… **BEGIN!** ”

And Once those words were said, it didn’t take long for the girl to start first. I saw her jump so high that I couldn’t see her from the lights.

_Shoot! Where did she… **AH!**_

“ **Phantom Kick!** ”

“ **Nayru’s Love!** ”

With my crystal barrier, I blocked the girl’s shadow-powered kick. But it didn’t hold for long. Because it broke into pieces. Sending us both back from each other a good distance.

_Woah! This girl’s really strong! That kick alone would’ve finished me!_

***RUMBLE***

_…_

“I…Impressive. No one has been able to perfectly counter that move.” The Phantom Fighter said to me.

“You could say that I’ve had a bit of practice.” I replied with a small smile.

“I see. Then, let us continue. **Shadow Burst!** ” The Phantom Fighter then shot out two shadow balls from her palms. Then kicked them for extra force. Both shadow balls were swirling in a circle and heading towards me. I had to think fast!

“ **Din’s Fire!** ”

I launched a magical fireball at the two shadow balls. Colliding with them both and all three of them exploding because of it.

***RUMBLE***

“A-Another perfect counter?!” The Phantom Fighter yelled in shock.

“ ** _*pant* *pant*_** _Another powerful attack. This girl’s no joke. I’m already getting exhausted._ ” I whispered to myself.

“Woah! This is some battle am I right, folks?! The excitement is rushing through my…”

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

“Huh? What was that?” Silvia asked as she was interrupted by the constant shaking.

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

“So, I wasn’t the only one feeling that?” I asked.

“Th-This rumbling…feels really odd.” The Phantom Fighter added.

The crowd was also getting concerned with all the rumbling. The cheering from seconds before now turned into chatters of worry.

“ **Everyone!** ”

We then paid our attention to one of the guild workers who had rushed onto the arena.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Silvia asked.

“ **Chief! We must clear the arena immediately! There’s a giant…** ”

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

***CRASH***

Suddenly, something big had crashed through the ceiling. Debris falling down with it into random spots in the arena and smoke flying everywhere.

It made it hard to see everything. But with one swipe from whatever fell from the ceiling, I was able to see it.

But I honestly wish I didn’t…

“ _W-Wait. That’s…_ ”

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

“ **R…Ridley?!** ”

“Ridley?” The two girls asked me.

That’s when Ridley heard our voices and looked down on us. Then only paid attention to me. As unfortunately…he recognized me.

**_*whine*_ ** _This what I get for being friends with Samus!_

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

***SWIPE***

I was swiped really hard and thrown to the wall on the end. But thanks to my Nayru’s Love power, I was able to block most of the impact.

“ _Ow…_ ” I winced in pain.

I heard the swarms of people screaming and crying as they fled for the exits. Not wanting to get hurt or most likely die from Ridley’s attacks.

“ **Hey, look out!** ” I heard at least someone shout.

I then noticed Ridley flying towards me with great speed. No doubt planning to strike me a second time.

“ **Gah! Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!** **What do I…** ”

“ **Phantom Kick!** ”

***POW***

“ **Wait, what?!** ”

I saw the Phantom Fighter dropkick Ridley in the face with the attack from earlier. It looked strong, but…not strong enough. As Ridley knocked her off and swiped her, too. Sending her to the side wall of the arena.

“ **No!** ” I yelled. While Ridley just laughed at what he just did. Then, with his attention back to me, he raised his piercing needle tail and aimed it at me.

“Tch. Aw, crud.”

“ **PK Flash!** ”

***BOOM***

**_*SCREECH IN PAIN*_ **

I saw a giant ball of green light hit Ridley in the face and push him back greatly. I was so glad when the person who fired it landed in front of me.

“ **Peachy!** ”

“Geez, Zelda. Didn’t I tell you to be careful?”

“Well, I was! F-For a little bit.” I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment.

“ ** _*growl*_** _…_ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ” Ridley was now flying in the air as he grew angrier from that last attack.

“What the heck? How is Ridley here, anyway?” Peach asked.

“I had the same thought. But, it’s best that we take him down here and now.”

“Normally, I would be disagreeing with you and calling you crazy. But now, we don’t have a choice.”

“Ready?”

“Let’s go.”

“ **Din’s Fire!** ”

“ **PK Fire!** ”

We both shot fire at the Space Pirate Leader. Hoping to damage him a little bit more. But he flew out the path of the fireballs. Making that whole thing worthless.

**_*taunting laugh*_ **

“Dang it! We missed!” I yelled.

“ **Peach! Zelda!** ” We then heard someone call out to us.

“ **Silvia?!** ”

“ **Try to get this thing back on the ground! You’ll have a better chance of hitting it!** ”

“The ground… **That’s it! Peach, I got an idea!** ” I then whispered to her what I had in mind. She then looked at me with a look of complete shock.

“Z-Zelda…will that work?”

“There’s only one way to find out! Are you with me?!”

…

“Yeah! I’m with you, Zelda!” Peach yelled with a confident grin as big as mine.

“Alright, Peachy! **Let’s go!** ”

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ” Ridley looked more threatening than ever now that he sees us as a challenge. He then began readying a devastating plasma blast.

Better known as…Plasma Scream.

“ **Uh, girls! Better hurry it up!** ” Silvia yelled.

“ **I’m on it!** ” I shouted as I snapped my fingers and a disembodied guardian suit of armor started appearing out of nowhere. Putting itself together as its purple glowing hue grew bigger. Big enough to reach Ridley up there.

“ **Phantom Slash!** ”

The Phantom raised its sword and slashed it over our heads. Slicing its sword at Ridley and slamming him to the ground. Canceling the Plasma Scream in the process.

“ **Alright, got him!** ” I cheered. “ **Now, Peachy!** ”

“ **I’m on it!** ” Peach said as she took a few steps forward. Then she raised both arms in the air and took a deep breath.

“ **PK Starstorm!** ”

Peach then summoned a shower of falling stars that crashed through the ceiling and pelted Ridley one after another. His screams of pain only getting louder as the stars grew more in quantity.

After the last falling star had landed, the arena was filled with smoke. But it cleared out rather quickly due to the many holes to the outside.

“ ** _*pant*_** _Did we ***pant*** get him?_” Peach asked.

“I’m not sure. It’s still a bit too dusty.”

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

“ **Not quite!** ” I yelled.

We thought that we had to continue this fight with Ridley. But as we were about to make a move, he flew off from the same hole he made while crashing in here. So, from the looks of it, he’s given up.

For now.

“ ** _*sigh*_** ” We both collapsed onto the crumbled up floor. Exhausted like no other.

“ _That was intense._ ” I said.

“ _Yeah, no kidding. I don’t know how Samus deals with him every time._ ” Peach added.

“ _Makes our past lives a whole lot easier._ ”

“ _Agreed._ ”

“ ** _Nice_** work, you two! You both really are strong!” Silvia said as she walked up to us.

“Yeah, I guess. Sorry about the damage.”

“Oh, it’s fine. As long as no one got hurt, it should be fine.”

_Someone…getting hurt? **Oh, right!**_

“Guys! What about the Phantom Fighter?!” I yelled before rushing over to the girl’s side. With Peach and Silvia following close behind.

When we reached up to her, she was knocked unconscious. The Phanto Mask that concealed her face was shattered. Revealing her child-like face to us. We could just barely see her ruby-red eyes as one of them was open enough for us to peek at it.

“Woah. So, this is the Phantom Fighter?” I asked.

“I knew she was a kid. But I didn’t think she was this young.” Peach said.

“ _Oh, no._ Guys, this is not good!” Silvia began to panic.

“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked.

“This girl. This is the one and only…Princess Hanako.”

…

…

“ **W-Wait! Seriously?!** ” We both yelled in shock as we continued to look at the injured princess of the Mythgrove Kingdom.

_What the heck is going on?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of the now-canceled Battle Royale, a sudden surprise crashes through. Ridley, the Cunning God of Death. Just how did he get here and what does he want? The answers will be revealed soon.
> 
> I’m going to try to update this story once a week for now on. Sometimes I may miss, but it’s a promise that I want to keep. I like this story a lot and I’ve got lots of things planned for it.
> 
> I didn't really know at first which Pokémon for Moon to have. But then I remembered that Aipom was one of my favorites. So, it got chosen. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	11. Aftermaths & Rewards

***crowd panicking***

***crowd crying***

***crowd angerly ranting***

"E-Everyone, please! Everything is under control! Us guild workers are currently investigating the recent event! As of right now, the guild is currently closed! You will all have to leave now! I'm sorry!"

Silvia was finally able to close the door leading to the back area of the guild and met up with the rest of us. Just as exhausted as Zelda and I.

"Geez. Everyone seems riled up." Zelda said.

"Yeah, I don't blame them. A giant purple dragon appearing out of nowhere. Destroying nearly half of the castle and injuring the princess. I'm upset as well. If not tired."

"I see."

"So, was that really Ridley that attacked everything?" Moon asked.

"Yeah, it was." I said. "And he's just as violent and deadly as ever. No one saw that attack coming."

" _ ***sigh***_  I see." Silvia said. "And I suppose that Ridley thing is from your world?"

"Well, he's from a different world from ours. But it's similar. Ridley rules this race of aliens called the Space Pirates. And he himself is often known as the "Cunning God of Death"."

"Mainly because every time a friend of ours kills him, he somehow comes back to life." Zelda said.

"He's honestly smarter than he looks." Viridi added.

"I see.  _Just my luck._ " I can tell from just hearing all that Silvia grew more tired.

" _This is just crazy._ " We heard Mio mumble to herself.

"You okay, Mio?" Zelda asked her.

…

"Hello? Mio?"

…

"Yo! Mio!" Phosphora yelled at her.

"H-Huh? O-Oh, sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what we told you?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much. To think that the Phantom Fighter was  **THE**  Princess Hanako in disguise. And then now, she's injured because of that Ridley thing you've mentioned. How would we even fix this?"

" _ ***sigh***_  Honestly, Mio. I have no ide…"

***BONK***

"Ow! Again?!" Zelda yelled as she rubbing her head in pain from something hitting her the second time. We all looked at it and it just happened to be a white orb of some kind.

"Did that orb just fall from nowhere?" Silvia asked.

"An orb that fell from nowhere?  _Ugh. I know who it is._ " Viridi moaned in disappointment.

The orb then began to glow as it floated on its own. And soon, a screen appeared. Where we were able to see the face of…

"Palutena?" I asked.

"Well, hello there, Peach and Zelda. It's been 3 days since I sent you two to that world and I was just curious about how life was going for you former princesses."

"Um. Where to start…"

"How's about we start with you  **NOT**  dropping things on my head?!" Zelda asked as she intercepted me. Still a little upset from the two head injuries.

"I told you she would figure it out, Lady Palutena." Pit said as he came on screen.

"Yeah, I know. I still wanted to do it."

" **I'm gonna get a concussion because of you!** " Zelda yelled.

"Calm down, Zelda." I said to her.

"Hey, Goddess of Light." Viridi came on screen standing next to me. "We kinda have our own problems right now and don't need you to annoy us with your witty one-liners."

"Ah, Viridi. Of course. You seem  _ **very**_  busy shopping at those human stores all day. Wouldn't want to bother you."

"Thank you… **w-wait, that's not what I meant! That's Phosphora making me go to those places!** "

"Guilty." Phosphora said as she was now on-screen. "They've got some much cute stuff here. I even picked out this sparkling outfit Peach is wearing right now."

" _As much as I didn't want it._ " I added.

"You know, Light Lady."

"It's Palutena." Palutena grew insulted.

"Despite being enemies, I could pick out some new clothes for you, too. That old lady dress isn't really working out anymore."

" _Old lady dress?_ " Palutena grew more insulted.

"Ph-Phosphora." Mio said as she stood next to her. "I-I really don't think you should upset the weird lady with the high ranking."

" _Weird lady with the high ranking?_ "

_Mio, you just made it worse…_

"Aipom Aipom!  _Ai…_ **POM!** "

***SMACK***

"H-Hey!" I yelled.

"Aipom! Don't just smack things with your tail like that!" Moon yelled as she grabbed the somehow undamaged orb from the floor. "Oh. Hey, Palutena. Hey, Pit."

"Aipom!"

"What the…Moon?! Why are you there?!" Palutena asked.

"I wanted to battle here. But they wouldn't let me. Saying that my Pokémon all look like animals."

"But they do!" Silvia yelled.

"But they're not!"

"How did you even get there, anyway?" Pit asked.

"Easy. I used a Phantom Ruby."

…

…

" **How do you have a Phantom Ruby?!** " Both Angel and Goddess asked in shock.

"Apparently, you can buy them off Goomble." I said.

"Goomble. Of course." Palutena said with an exasperated sigh.

"Look, are we done? Viridi was right about us having our own problems right now."

"Huh? Viridi was right?"

"That's a shocker." Pit added.

" _ **Why you little…**_ " Viridi grew angry.

"C-Calm down, Viridi." Mio said. "They probably meant it as a joke."

"Trust me, Mio. It's not a joke."

_Viridi's right. They probably did mean it._

Zelda and I began explaining everything that happened within the past 3 days. Us rescuing Mio. Learning about this world from Silvia. Running into Viridi and Phosphora, who are now stuck here due to Viridi's staff not having any power. Basically being forced to participate in something called the Battle Royale. Finding Moon here.

And most importantly…fighting Ridley.

" **W-Wait, seriously?! Ridley's there?!** " Pit asked in shock.

"Yeah, he is." Zelda said. "Although, we have no idea how he got here or what he wants."

"After fighting him, he flew off. To where...we also have no idea. But he's clearly still in this area." I added.

"I see. This does sound like a problem." Palutena said.

…

…

"Well, I'm sure you can figure it out."

" **WHAT?!** " We all shouted.

" **You mean you're not going to help us?!** " Zelda yelled.

"My all-seeing eye doesn't reach out to Mythgrove. As it is a different world."

" **Then why did you send us here in the first place?!** " I asked.

" _Hmm…_ Oh, look at the time. Gotta prepare dinner, right Pit?"

"Huh? But I thought you said you were never cooking ever again because of how you were attacked by a bunch of veg…"

***BONK***

" _Ow…_ " Pit rubbed his head from the bonk he received from Palutena's staff.

"Bye-bye, now. Former princesses.  _ ***giggle***_ "

The screen from the orb then cut off. And the orb itself disappeared from Moon's hands.

"Well, that was pointless." I said.

"Is every Goddess person like that?" Mio asked.

"No. It's just her. One of the many reasons why I can't stand her." Viridi said.

"I see."

***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Yes? Come in." Silvia said.

"Chief. I bring a status report." Said a guild worker as she entered the room.

"Alright, proceed."

"As of 5:03 pm, there is still no sign of the purple dragon creature known as Ridley. We are continuing the search as of right now. Lasting for another hour."

"I see. And what of the princess?"

"Princess Hanako is still unconscious. She is currently being looked over by the royal doctor. As of right now, it is unknown if she would wake up anytime soon."

"Oh, no." Moon said.

"Poor Princess Hanako." Mio added.

"I see. Thank you for the report. Please return to your duties." Silvia said.

"Yes, Chief." The guild worker said before leaving the room.

" _ ***sigh***_  It hasn't gotten better yet."

"Still can't believe that the Phantom Fighter is the princess of Mythgrove. Do the king and queen know about this?" Phosphora asked.

"I doubt it. Although they can be really strict to their daughter, I've heard rumors that they're extremely oblivious to her and minor problems that don't affect them."

"I see. So, like every human ruler ever." Viridi said.

"So, basically…Peach, Zelda, and even yourself?" Mio asked.

" **H-Hey! We're not oblivious!** " Zelda and I yelled.

"Oh please, Mio. I'm  **NOTHING**  like those two. I'm a respected ruler."

"Then how come no one here has ever heard of you?" Mio asked again.

…

…

"W-Well…th-that's not my fault! This is a different world and all."

"Aipom."

"Yeah, she kinda is." Moon said.

" _What did he say?_ "

"N-Nothing, Viridi."

"Well, for now, I guess you girls can stay here until we leave for the day." Silvia said. "There's a back door for when you're ready to leave."

"Thanks, Silvia." I said.

"Wait a sec! What about that "wish of desires" that was promised?!" Viridi asked.

"Huh? Well…since you two saved the kingdom from total destruction, I guess you can have it. What do you want to wish for?"

The six of us looked at each other with total confusion.

"Wait. You mean  _ **you're**_  going to grant it?" Zelda asked.

"I have magical wish-granting abilities. So, stuff like this isn't really a problem for me."

…

…

"Seriously. Just what are you?"

"Look, do you want the wish or not?"

"Alright, alright.  _Hmm…what to wish for?_  The possibilities are endless."

"Hey. Zelda. You  _ **do**_  remember why we did this in the first place, right?" Viridi asked.

…

…

"Seriously, though. What to wish for?"

" **Zelda!** "

"Alright, fine! I wish Viridi had her powers back."

"As you wish." Silvia said before snapping her fingers. Viridi's staff then began to glow as it started to regain its former strength.

_***Magic replenished*** _

" **Yes! Finally! Now I can go home! See you whenever, former princesses!** _ **Hahahahaha!**_ "

"What?! You mean we're leaving just like that?!  _But I'm having so much fun!_ " Phosphora whined.

"Fine. You stay. I'll just throw away your special blow-dryer."

"N-No, wait! I get it! We'll leave now!"

"Anyway…have fun dealing with Ridley, you two. Hope you all survive." Viridi laughed some more as she and Phosphora disappeared into the light created from her staff.

"So, that makes two useless goddesses, huh?" Silvia asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Zelda, Moon, and I said.

"Well, at least she's happy now." Mio said.

"Yeah, but I would've loved to have that wish for us." Zelda said. "After all,  **WE**  had to do it. Not her."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. There's a little Plan B to the battle royale prize." Silvia said.

"Plan B?"

"As in what, Silvia?" Mio asked.

"If by chance, there was a wish that couldn't be granted for whatever reason, then we would've given the winner a cash prize as a replacement."

" _Oh, boy!_  A cash prize!" Zelda cheered.

"How much is it?" I asked.

"Hmm…not much. Like somewhere around…1,000,000 credits or so."

…

…

…

…

"H-Hey, guys. A-Are credits this world's form of money?" Moon asked.

"Y-Yes. I-It is." Mio said.

"S-So, with 1,000,000 of those things…" I said.

…

" **WE'RE RICH!** " Zelda cheered with huge excitement. Probably bigger than we first came to this world.

And I honestly don't blame her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hours after the attack, the girls are nowhere near close to figuring out how and why Ridley is in Mythgrove. And with Palutena seemingly ignoring the situation and Viridi & Phosphora back in their world, help isn't going to be an easy thing to receive for a while.
> 
> But hey. At least they got money. More than enough, too.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	12. Desires Royal & True

"And… **TA-DA!**  Behold, girls! My new appearance!" I cheered as I stepped out of the changing room at one of the shops in the Square. After getting those 1,000,000 Credits from Silvia, I had managed to convince the others that we should do some shopping.

" _For what?_ " Is what Peach kept asking me. And so I finally told her "Duh! What else but clothes, you big dummy!"

…

Well, okay. I didn't actually call her a big dummy. She's too much of a special friend for me to do that.

Plus, Peach would've hit me in the head for that. I don't need a third lump in my head.

Anyway. What I decided to go with was a white t-shirt that exposed my right shoulder. Which showed the strap of the pink undershirt I was wearing underneath. The t-shirt itself had small pink dashes on random spots. Kinda neat, I guess.

I also wore a pair of these really cool light grey jeans (apparently, they're called capri jeans. Odd name.) that had a few cuts on them.

And then finally, I changed my old boots for these grey & white ones. They feel lighter than my old ones and they honestly look kind cool.

"Woah, Zelda! You look amazing!" Moon said.

"I gotta admit, Zelda. You actually look pretty nice in that." Peach added.

" _ ***giggle***_  Thanks, girls. I knew that I would look stylish in these clothes." I said with a smile.

"You know. When you said that we should come here, I thought you were going to get that sweater from last time."

"Hmm. I did think about it. But in the end, it wasn't and different from what I would normally wear back in Hyrule. I think."

"Yeah, you do have a point. Pretty sure Toadsworth would've never agreed to this outfit if I was still in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Pretty sure he wouldn't even give an opinion because he'd be already passed out."

" _ ***giggle***_  That's true."

"Woah. Guys, look at Mio." Moon said while pointing up ahead.

"Oh hey, Mio. You done ye…wow." I stopped talking I took a look at what Mio was now wearing. When we first met her, she wore a clear white sweater mini-dress. Now she was wearing a light blue jacket with a hood in the back, a white t-shirt with a snowflake on it, and then a white skirt with light blue diamonds on it like a pattern. She still wore her white snow boots. She must love them or something.

All and all, Mio's outfit reminded me of snow. Again.

"Wow. Mio…you look amazing. Like a new person, even." Peach said.

"Yeah, it's really something. What made you change your clothes?" I asked.

"Well…at first, I wasn't. But I gave it some thought and decided to give it a chance. Do I really look good?"

"Of course. We wouldn't lie to you right, guys?"

"I meant what I said, Mio. You really do look good." Peach said.

"It looks cute on you." Moon added.

"Really? Wow, um…thanks, guys. Although, there is one more thing I want to get."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Ah, Mio. You're here." Right when Mio was going to answer, one of the shopworkers had walked up to her. "Here's the thing you ordered."

"Ah, yes. Thank you so much." Mio said as she took a box from the worker.

"You already ordered it?" Moon asked.

"S-Sorry. It's just when we got all those credits from Silvia, I got really excited. As this was something I've always wanted." Mio opened the box and revealed to us what she had ordered.

"A scarf?"

We didn't really get it.

"Not just a scarf. It's an Ice Scarf. With this, my ice magic power increases by 25%. Plus, I get to learn new ice magic spells."

"Wow. All that from a scarf? I'm impressed." Peach said.

"Yeah, me too." I said. "And it even matches the light blue jacket you got on."

"Light blue? This is Cyan."

"Cyan?"

"It's a light greenish-blue color."

"Huh. First peach. Now cyan. I'm seeing a whole bunch of colors I never knew excited."

"Maybe this world is more advanced than our own worlds." Moon said.

"It's starting to look like it." Peach said with an added sigh.

* * *

It's been two days since the surprise attack from Ridley that left the princess unconscious. And up to now, Ridley still hasn't been found and the princess still hasn't woken up. Tensions from the villagers have gone slightly down as they try to go on as normal.

But as for us four, we haven't really been doing anything. Just walking around town figuring out what to do with all this money. Like what we're doing right now.

"You sure you didn't want to buy anything, Moon?" Mio asked her.

"Eh…I-I'm fine, really. I'm not that into fashion. And besides, I like what I got on now. My mother made it for me."

"I see."

_You know. Now that I think about it…_

"Hey, Moon. Do you ever plan on going back to your world?" I asked.

"Going back?" Moon thought to herself for a bit. "Well…I do miss Alola a little. And I'm pretty sure Lillie is worried sick about me. But the whole point of being a Pokémon trainer is to explore new worlds. And while coming to Mythgrove might be taking that rule a bit too far…"

"You don't say." Peach said.

"…I'm having a really good time here. And I want to explore even more of this place. Even those other 5 kingdoms Mio was telling me about."

"I see. Well, it'll be great to have you around, Moon!" I cheered.

" _ ***giggle***_  Thanks, Zelda! I'm glad to be here!" Moon cheered with me.

"You two seem to get along well." Mio said.

"Zelda gets along with everyone." Peach said. "Well…aside from a few exceptions, that is. The same goes for me."

"I see."

With nothing else to do, we continued walking the streets of Mythgrove while talking about whatever came to mind. But then we heard a voice calling out to us. A panicked one, to be exact.

" **Guys! Guys!** "

"Silvia? What's wrong? Why are you yelling like that?" Peach asked.

"I-It's a really important message! I felt like I had to tell you guys in person!"

"A message? From who?"

Silvia looked around the area to make sure no one could hear her. Then signaled us to come closer to her.

"It's from the King and Queen of Mythgrove. They want to meet you all."

…

…

" **Wait, what?!** " We all shouted in total shock.

"Shh! Keep it down, will you! It's supposed to be a secret!"

"Why do the King and Queen of the kingdom want to meet us?" Mio asked.

"Well…because… _ ***sigh***_  look. After the princess was given treatment for injuries, I kinda got chewed out by the Chancellor for not knowing about the attack from Ridley. But then I got saved by the Queen, who then wanted to know who were the two people who saved her daughter. And since I couldn't lie to neither her or the King, I…told them about you guys."

"S-So…they know about us?" Moon asked.

"Well, I managed to leave out the fact that you're from different worlds. But other than that, they know everything. Sorry, everyone."

"It's fine, Silvia. I'm sure you were just doing your job." I then went silent for a bit. With this sudden news coming to us, one thing came to mind.

"Hey, Silvia. Has Princess Hanako woken up yet?"

"From what I know, she hasn't. It's been two days and everyone's starting to getting worried."

"I see." I said with a sad tone.

_Geez. I feel like it's my fault this is happening._

"So, do we just go or what happens now?" Mio asked.

"I'll take you all there. I kinda have to be there myself."

"Alright, then."

"Hey, Moon." Peach said. "What about…"

"Aipom? Don't worry. I had his Pokéball set on lock mode ever since we were in the shop earlier. He won't be coming out unless I…"

"Aipom Aipom!" We then saw Aipom come out of Moon's bag and stand right next to her.

" **H-How do you keep escaping?!** "

"Aipom."

" **What do you mean you're not telling?! Do you know how many**   **Pokédollars I've spent to get that modification?!** "

"Aipom. Aipom Aipom."

" _ ***sigh***_  You're really something else, Aipom."

Aipom began to laugh as his trainer facepalmed in defeat.

"So, this is normal, huh?" Silvia asked.

"Well…to Moon, it is. She does this every day." Peach said.

"Huh." Silvia and Mio both seemed to accept that answer.

* * *

And so, we headed over to Mythgrove Castle to fulfill the request of the two rulers. There were still some damage from the attack. But it was slowly being rebuilt.

Nothing from the inside was changed. Although, we did take a different route from when we were here for the Battle Royale. And soon, we were in front of two large doors. On the other side was the reason we were here in the first place.

"The King and Queen are right behind this door. You girls get prepared." Silvia told us.

"Now, Aipom. I mean it. You stay hidden in this bag until we leave. Got it?" Moon said to her Pokémon.

"Aipom!"

"Aw, geez. The King and Queen of Mythgrove. I've never been this close to them before. I'm so nervous." Mio said.

"This is the first time we're on the other side of this type of thing. Are you going to be okay, Zelda?" Peach asked me.

"Yeah. Hopefully. I'm just as nervous as Mio right now."

"They're nice people. Along with the other things I mentioned earlier. Just keep your cool and you should be fine."

"Right." We all agreed to Silvia's advice and she let the two guards standing at the door know to let us in.

"Your majesty." One of the guards spoke. "Guild Chief Silvia has arrived with the ones you have asked for."

"Excellent. Bring them in." We heard a deep male's voice.

The four of us followed Silvia inside as we inched closer to the two rulers of this kingdom. The nerves inside of me were riled up. I was now starting to feel the exact presser the villagers felt when they came to ask me requests.

And I truly feel sorry for them all.

"Your majesty." Silvia said. "I have brought them. As you have requested."

"Great work, Silvia." The King said. "Now, what are their names?"

We looked at Silvia for advice on what to do next.

" _Just introduce yourselves as normal. It's fine._ " She whispered to us.

We each took a deep breath before following her advice.

"My name is Zelda. My friends Peach, Moon, and I have recently moved here. And have been kindly guided by our friend Mio."

"Ah. I see. So, you're the group of girls who rescued my daughter from that vicious monster? It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"Yes. It is indeed." The Queen added.

_Well, technically…it was just Peach and I. But I don't feel like it's my place to correct them on that._

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesties." The four of us said.

" **Y-Your majesties!** " In came in a short man with a cane looking a bit panicked.

"What is it, Chancellor?" The King asked.

" **I-It is the princess! She has awoken!** "

_Sh-She's awake?!_

"Thank the all-mighty. Please do bring her in." The Queen said.

"Yes, your majesty."

The Chancellor opened a small door to the left of us and in came in a person I didn't really expect to see on my (forced) visit here.

The Princess of Mythgrove. Wearing a simple white dress and a silver tiara.

_She looks…quite beautiful, to be honest._

"Mother. Father. My apologies for worrying you both." She said.

"Not to worry, my dear daughter." The King said. "As if for not these guests, your situation would've been dire."

"We have guests?" The princess looked up front and saw us standing there. She instantly grew a panic as she does remember us. Just as we remember her.

"Hanako? What's wrong, dear?" The Queen asked.

"N-Nothing, Mother. I-It's just I wasn't aware of guests coming."

"Not just any guests, my dear. For these have saved your life." The King said.

"I see…Mother. Father. May I have some alone time with the guests? I wish to give my condolences."

"Hmm…I accept your request. Guards. Go with them to make sure nothing happens."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Silvia, you stay here. We would like an update on this monster that attacked the town recently." The Chancellor said.

"Y-Yes, sir." Silvia responded.

Without us really saying a word, the four of us walked with the princess and the two guards. I wasn't really sure what else to do. The nerves are still bothering me to think of an idea.

_Guess we're winging it this time…_

* * *

"Woah…this room's huge!" Moon said as we stepped inside the princess's room.

"Kind of what you expect from a person of royalty." Mio added.

"We will leave the guests with you, Princess. As you have requested." One of the guards said.

"Thank you. You may leave now."

"Yes, Princess."

Once the guards had left, it was just the four of us alone with the princess of the kingdom. Not sure of what to do next.

"So, um…Princess. Glad to see that you've recovered." I said.

" _Zelda!_ " Peach whispered to me.

" _What? I'm just trying to break the ice a little._ "

"Yes. I am glad as well." The princess replied. "Although, I must thank you two for fending off that creature from the kingdom…

…Princess Peach and Princess Zelda."

"Wh-What?!" The four of us were taken off guard by what she had said.

"Y-You know who we are?!" I asked.

"It may sound weird, but yes. I am aware of you girls being from a different world. Well, three of you. I remember Mio pretty well from last year's Battle Royale."

"I see…" Mio said.

"How did you figure it out?" Peach asked.

"You may call it a…"princess's intuition" of sorts. But there is an actual story behind it. It is rather complicated. But…long story short, it has something to do with the Phanto mask you saw me wear."

"The Phanto mask?"

"How did you get it, anyway?" Moon asked.

"It…It's a rather long story. Do you really wish to hear it?"

"Well…we can't really refuse. I mean, you  **ARE**  the princess and all." I said.

"Right. Then I suppose I shall begin." Princess Hanako cleared her throat before telling this story of hers.

And I gotta say…it was pretty deep.

"Long ago, when I was brought into this world, I was a princess in training. A happy younger child that had fun within and outside the castle walls. Under the guidance of the King and Queen. Being my parents.

One day, though. I stumbled across this cave that rests outside of town. Due to my curiosity, I went inside. And found the Phanto mask resting inside. I took a liking to it. So, I picked it up.

Little did I know of the dangers of doing such a thing would bring to me. The mask started spewing out this dark magic all around me. And I felt it enter my inner soul.

I remember nothing else after that. But I did wake up in my room. With the mask in my possession. And after some mishaps with the royal doctor, I learned that I have obtained the ability to use shadow magic."

"Wow. That sounds cool, Princess." Mio said.

"I believed so, as well. Unfortunately, my parents thought otherwise. They do not believe in the use of magic in our family. And believed that what I had acquired was a curse."

"A curse?" We asked.

"And so, I was placed on high protection. Never to leave the castle again until the curse was gone. But with it being years since that day, I was starting to lose hope of them seeing the good in having magic.

So, I trained up in secret. Practiced my shadow magic without the knowledge of my parents. And 5 years ago from around this time, I became known by the Mythgrove Battle Royale as…The Phantom Fighter."

"Woah. So, that's the story." I said.

"Yes. It is." Princess Hanako then turned away from us and looked at the open window. "I've heard so many stories of all these different places. Not just the other kingdoms in this world, but also worlds that existed outside this one. And I've always dreamed of exploring them all.

…

But…with Mother and Father being overprotective of me, all I can really do is dream."

_Wow. That sounds horrible. Horrible…and familiar._

"Hey…Peach. Doesn't her story…"

"…Sound very similar to ours? Yeah. It does." Peach said with a sigh.

"Does it really?" The princess asked.

"Peach and I left our worlds to escape being captive in our royal duties and live on our own for once. We had the same feelings as you. Wanting to explore different worlds and see how normal people lived in them. And so, we came here."

"I see now. So what of your friend?"

"I came here because of the Battle Royale. But didn't take part in it because of its rules of not using "animals"." Moon said.

"Animals?"

"It's a long story." Peach said.

"I see." Princess Hanako then began to laugh a little. "You know. The fact that I want to leave this world and you all came to this world, for the same reason, I must add…it's a rather big coincidence, don't you think?"

" _ ***giggle***_  Yeah, it kinda is." I said.

"We never thought we would meet someone that shared our problems. Let alone, another princess." Peach added.

"Well, it looks of that fate has made our paths cross together. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Peach and Princess Zelda."

"You know…just Zelda is fine. The same with Peach."

"Really? You do not mind?"

"Sure. We want to be known as normal people. Not figures of royalty."

"I…I see. Then I shall refer to you as such."

"Thanks again, Princess Hanako."

…

…

Princess Hanako suddenly turned her head from us in a nervous state.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"W-Well…being referred to as Princess Hanako seems a bit…redundant, don't you think?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, Zelda. I think she wants…" Mio then whispered to me what she had in mind.

" _Oh._  I see now. Well, we don't mind shortening it for you…Hanako."

" **Meep!** " Hanako blushed a little before calming back down. "S-Sorry. It's just that no one besides Mother and Father has referred to me as such. It may take getting used to, if you don't mind."

"It's fine. We understand."

"It's nice of us to be friends like this, Hanako." Mio said.

"I think so, too." Moon added.

"Thank you. Mio and…I-I'm sorry. I do not know your name."

"Oh, right. My name's Moon. I'm not exactly a princess and more so a Pokémon trainer."

" _Pokémon_  trainer? I am not knowledgeable of such a thing."

"It's a thing in my own world. A common thing for kids my age. I'm 14, by the way."

"14? That is my age, as well."

"Wow! Cool!"

"Huh. You were actually right about Moon and Hanako being the same age, Zelda." Peach said.

"See? I told you." I said with a smug grin.

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

***CRASH***

"Wh-What was that?!" Mio asked.

" _ **RAAAWWWGGGHH!**_ "

"That screech…"

We looked out the window and saw something flying out in the sky.

Or more like  _someone._ "

" **Ridley!** " Peach, Moon, and I shouted.

We watched as Ridley flew out of the kingdom at rapid speeds. I couldn't really tell, but it looked like he had something in his hands. Can't say what, though.

"Ugh! We missed him!" I yelled in anger.

***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Enter." Hanako said.

" **Guys! Come quick! It's an emergency!** " Silvia yelled as she came inside the room in a panic.

* * *

" **WHAT?! THE QUEEN'S BEEN KIDNAPPED?!** " We shouted once we returned to the King's throne room.

"It was another sudden attack." The King said. "My men tried to fight it off. But they were no match for its power. And then that fiend! It took the Queen as it fled! The monster!"

"I-It took Mother?!" Hanako asked. "Oh, no!"

"Silvia! You better have a good lead on it this time!" The Chancellor demanded.

"Yes, sir. I indeed do. Judging by the direction it was flying, I'd say that it's heading for the Farshire Kingdom."

"Farshire? Then they are in as great danger as we are." The King said.

"Your orders, my lord?" The Chancellor asked.

"We must warn Farshire at once. As for the other kingdoms as well. But that monster…what to do about it?"

This may sound like a risky and stupid idea. But with Moon, Mio, and Peach looking at me with confident looks, I knew that they had the same thought as I did.

"Your majesty. Let us go after him." I said.

"Hm? Are you ladies sure?"

"We've fought him once before. And we're familiar with how he attacks."

"We can take him down and rescue the Queen." Peach said.

"They speak the truth, your majesty. These girls are really strong. I've seen it with my own eyes." Silvia said.

"They make great points, my lord. They did rescue the princess." The Chancellor said.

"Hmm…alright. I leave the mission to you girls."

"Thank you, your majesty." We all said with a bow.

"I'll give you everything you'll need back at the guild." Silvia said.

"Thanks, Silvia." I replied.

We were then about to leave the castle to chase after Ridley and rescue the Queen.

When suddenly…

"Father!"

"Do not worry, my daughter. These four girls will rescue your mother soon."

"N-No. I-I mean…I wish to join them on their quest!"

" **Huh?!** " We all yelled in shock.

" **H-Hanako, dear! What are you saying?!** "

"I am saying that I want to rescue Mother as well!"

" **But you're just a mere princess, my dear! You don't contain ways to defend yourself!** "

"No, Father! That is where you are wrong! I do have a way! My shadow magic!"

" **Hanako! We've discussed this before! No using magic!** "

"But, Father! I cannot hide my true feelings much longer! I enjoy using magic! And I plan on using it for good! Like rescuing my mother from that monster! And I won't be doing it alone, either!" Hanako then turned to us. Which, by the way, we were still shocked at what we were hearing.

"H-Hanako…are you sure about this?" I asked.

"I trust that I will be in your care. As friends usually are, am I right?"

I gave this some thought. Then grew a great big smile on my face. As I was thinking the same thing.

"Yeah. Sure thing, Hanako."

"H-Hanako…" The King said.

"Please, Father. Allow me to do this. Think about Mother and her safety."

The King didn't respond right away. Instead, he got out of his chair and walked up to his only daughter. Still contemplating on what to say to this request she had made.

"Father?"

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_  A…Alright. I'll allow it."

" **R-Really?! You will?! Oh, thank you ever so much, Father!** " Hanako cheered.

"But!"

"B-But?"

The King then grabbed Hanako and held her in a great big royal hug. Almost shedding a tear.

"Hanako. My only daughter. Please…come back home safe. You and your mother."

"Yes, Father. I will do such a thing." Hanako said as she returned her father's hug.

_***sigh*** _ _So sweet!_

"I shall meet you all at the guild." Hanako said to us. "I must gather a few things beforehand."

"Alright. Fine by us." I said.

"We'll meet you there." Peach added.

"Good luck, ladies. I have the utmost belief in you all." The King said.

"Those are kind words from the King himself. Better take them for granted." The Chancellor added.

"Thank you, your majesty." We all said with one last bow before following Silvia out of the castle and back to the guild. Where we prepare to go on an adventure of our own.

_Link! Mario! Now it's_ _**OUR** _ _turn!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ridley has attacked once more. And this time, he has kidnapped the Queen of Mythgrove. But with their new friend Princess Hanako on their side, Peach, Zelda, Mio, and Moon prepare to set out on their own adventure. And the first stop is the neighboring Farshire Kingdom.
> 
> This is where the TRUE story begins!
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	13. Last-Minute Preparations

The four of us had arrived at the guild with Silvia to grab these stuff that she says we need. Stuff like stamina potions and things to cure status ailments like poison.

I wasn't really sure why we needed such things. And when I asked, Silvia said that the monsters outside the village can be rather tough.

The fact that we needed these items and knowing what these monsters are capable of made me a bit uneasy.

…

Well, okay. Extremely uneasy.

"Oh, come on, Peach. This is like one of those RPG adventures. You've done those before, right?" Zelda asked me.

"Yeah, once. After that, I went back to the "damsel in distress" role. So, I don't recall how any of this works."

"Not to worry, Peach." Moon said. "As a person from an RPG-like world, I shall explain it all to you guys. The basics are rather easy to learn."

"The basics?" Zelda, Mio, and I asked.

"Well, there's the Basic level. The Intermediate level. The Advance level. The Expert level. The Super-Expert level. The Master level. The Grand-Master level. And then the Luminary level."

"What the heck is the Luminary level?" Silvia asked.

"Two words. Endless grinding."

" _Oh._ " We all said.

"Well, anyway. It should be fine with us working together, right? No problem whatsoever." Zelda said.

_Such positive thinking, as always._

"By the way. Is Princess Hanako not here yet?" Silvia asked.

"I am here."

We looked over at the door and saw Hanako walking towards us. We were in a big shock because of what she was wearing.

Her Phantom Fighter disguise. With the Phanto mask on the side of her head.

"W-Woah. Hanako." Zelda said.

"You came here wearing that? Aren't you worried about your identity?" Mio asked.

"It does not matter to me anymore. With my father accepting my shadow magic, I no longer have to hide it.

…

A-And besides…I-I feel happy when I wear this. This feels like…the true me. I-If that makes sense."

"We totally get it. You do you, Hanako." Zelda said with a smile.

…

"Th-Thank you…everyone." Hanako replied with a similar smile.

"Alright." Silvia said. "Now that everyone's here, I'll give a little info about your destination."

"Fair enough." I said.

" ***clears throat***  The Farshire Kingdom is an area that is north from where Mythgrove lies. It is a kingdom that is mostly occupied by people who can use fire magic. Unlike Mythgrove, which has an equal amount of each type."

"Woah. Fire magic…" Zelda said.

"Fire magic…I might have some trouble over there." Mio said.

"Because of your ice magic?" I asked.

"Yes. With fire and ice magic collide, the chance of whoever is the winner is always 50%. Leaving battles to possibly go in an endless loop."

"I see. Well, I do have an ice power. So, if the time comes, I'll help you out, Mio."

"Thank you, Peach. The help will be greatly appreciated." Mio said with a smile.

"Another thing known about Farshire is that it's believed to be the place where people train to become ninjas." Silvia said.

"Ninjas?" We all asked.

"Well, it's a rumor at best. Nobody has been able to prove that a "ninja school" actually exists. And if it does, it's most likely very well hidden."

"Woah…" Moon said. "If such a place actually exists…"

"Aipom Aipom!" Aipom had managed to come out of his Pokéball and was now resting on Moon's shoulder.

"I know, right? It would be so cool!"

"S-So is this…" Hanako asked as she first gained a glance at Aipom.

"Oh, yeah. This is a Pokémon. A partner that people in my world travel around with. This one is named Aipom."

"Aipom."

"I see. Well, he is rather cute."

"Aipom Aipom."

"Aipom like you too, Hanako." Moon translated.

"I-I see. Th-Then I hope we become great friends…A-Aipom."

"Aipom!"

"That should be it for now." Silvia said. "Although, take this. It's a device that lets you contact me if you need any help. There's also a map on it."

"Woah! Thanks, Silva!" Zelda cheered as she took the device. But after looking at it more closely, she, Moon, and I started to recognize what this device looked like.

"Hey, guys. Doesn't this device…"

"Look like a Game Boy? Yeah, it really does." Moon said.

"The connections from this world to ours are starting to get weird." I added.

"What's a Game Boy?" Mio, Silvia, and Hanako asked.

"Um…It's just something from our worlds. Nothing important."

"Huh." The trio seemed to have accepted the answer.

_That was a close one._

"Anyway. With everything now set up and explained, you girls should be on your way."

"Alright!" Zelda cheered. "Let's go!"

"Wait. Hold on." We heard a new voice.

We then saw someone walking up to us with no intention to hurry. And to us, seeing this person was a total shock.

"Viridi? You're back?" I asked.

"And you changed your clothes, too." Moon added.

And she was right, too. Viridi had changed out of her normal clothes and into a black & red t-shirt partially underneath a red short-sleeved jacket, some black shorts, and a pair of white flip-flops.

Knowing how she would normally dress, this was a rather huge change.

"L-Look, I…I just got curious with how Ridley being here and…well…"

" _Oh. I get it now. You missed us._ " Zelda teased.

" **I-I did not miss you!**  I-I just thought…I-I could help, too."

"Really?" I asked in shock.

"G-Giving it some thought…how you and Zelda left your worlds to get a break from it all. I…I figured that I could use one, as well. S-So, I came back."

"Wow…"

"Wait, where's Phosphora?" Mio asked.

"She's covering for me. I don't want anyone to know about this."

"And by "anyone", you mean Palutena, right?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah, her. If she finds out, then I'll never hear the end of it. Which is why I made up a lie with Phosphora."

"I see."

"Well, Viridi. You're welcome to tag along!" Zelda cheered before wrapping her arm around Viridi's neck. "After all…we're friends here, are we not?"

" **Wh-What?! I** …"

…

" _Y-Yeah. We are._ " Viridi said after going silent. Gaining a small smile in the process.

_Must be the first time she's been referred to as such. Poor girl._

"Alright! Now we're ready! The 6 of us will stop Ridley and rescue the Queen! Let's go!" Zelda cheered.

But before she could run off in excitement, I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Easy, you. We're leaving together since you have the Game Boy."

"O-Oh, right. Sorry." Zelda said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Good luck, girls." Silvia said. "The entire kingdom is counting on you all."

"Right!" We all said before leaving the guild through the back entrance and heading our way out of the Mythgrove Kingdom.

Never in my life did I think that I would be going on a world-wide adventure with a bunch of other girls. Some were from other worlds than my own.

But with one of them being my best friend, I'm sure to have a great time while doing it.

_Here I go! I'm ready!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, the adventure beings! Peach, Zelda, Mio, Moon, Hanako, and Viridi set off to chase after Ridley and rescue Hanako's mother. The Queen of the Mythgrove Kingdom.
> 
> Sorry for missing last week. I was busy and couldn't make time to update this story. Might happen again in the future. Just a fair warning.
> 
> So, um…here's the thing. Even though I'm writing a Mario X Zelda story, I'm…not knowledgeable with the Zelda series.
> 
> Like, at all.
> 
> So, if you guys know any bosses that are well-known and are a fan favorite or a character that can rival Zelda in a way, you can leave it as a review. It would help me a lot when writing future chapters.
> 
> Also, fun fact: the Game Boy turned 30-years-old 3 days ago. Including it here was a little homage to the fact.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	14. The First Adventure Begins

The 6 of us had eventually left Mythgrove and were currently walking through the same field where Peach and I ended up at when we first came to this world. The sight of it all brought back memories. Even though those memories are probably a week old at this point.

While walking, Hanako and Viridi got to know each other a little more. And unlike her first encounter with Mio and Silvia, this one went positive.

Mainly because…

"A goddess? Impressive. I didn't think there would be goddesses in that other world."

" **Thank you!** Finally, someone in this world who knows what a goddess is!"

"Well, she is a princess, Viridi. It would make sense that she would know what it is." Peach said to her.

"Yeah, but the fact that I've had people say that it was a ranking really blew me over."

"Sorry." Mio said.

"S-So, um…Viridi, was it? With you being a goddess, I assume that you've been around for a while. Is that right?" Hanako asked.

"H-Huh? W-Well, I…"

I snickered to myself at what Hanako had just asked.

"Sh-Shut it, Zelda! That's not what she meant!"

"It could be…" I teased. Making Viridi angry.

"I-I didn't mean to offend." Hanako said.

" _ ***sigh***_  No, it's fine. Zelda's just childish."

"It's true." Peach added.

" _Hey!_ " I grew insulted.

"Anyway. Yes, it's true that I've been around longer than anyone here…"

"Aipom."

"Aipom, don't say that!" Moon yelled at him.

" _What did he say?_ "

"N-Nothing! J-Just some random monkey Pokémon thing. Nothing to worry about.  _Hehhehheh._ "

_He totally called her old._

"Hmph. I find that hard to believe. But whatever." Viridi then continued her last sentence. "In this world, though, I've been labeled as a 13-year-old. Not my first pick. But it makes more sense than 12.5."

"I still think it fits." Mio said.

"Mio, I swear to mother nature…"

" **Hey, guys! The Game Boy's picking up something!** " I yelled as it started making this loud beeping noise. "It says something's nearby!"

"And I think I've found it." Peach said as she pointed up ahead.

There in front of us was no doubt one of the monsters Silvia had mentioned about. This particular one was kinda big and really blue. And it looked really jiggly. I almost want to poke it just for fun.

…

_M-Maybe I am childish…_

"W-Wow. That slime is huge."

"Slime?" Peach, Moon, Viridi, and I asked Mio.

"They're the most common monsters around here. They don't do much in ways of attacking. But they are hard to get rid of."

"And in the case of big slimes, they do multiply into smaller ones if you chose to attack them." Hanako added.

"Huh. So, that how slimes work. The only one I've ever met was the one from Dragon Quest." Peach said.

"Wait, you mean when you guys had those sports tournaments a while ago?" Moon asked.

"Yeah, why?"

" **Why didn't you invite me to one of those?!** "

" **I know, right?! So inconsiderate!** " I yelled with Moon.

Peach just facepalmed as she let out a huge sigh of annoyance.

"Well, this thing's blocking the way. So, we have no choice but to attack it." Viridi said.

"Fair enough." I said as I placed the Game Boy in my back pocket. Ready for a battle.

" **Din's Fire!** "

I shot a fireball at the slime and in an instant, it had split into two.

"Cool…" Moon and I said.

"Great. Now there's two of them." Peach said.

"But they are smaller." Mio said. "Which means that they're weaker than the big one from earlier."

"That's true." Peach then went silent for a bit while staring a the two slimes.

" **PK Fire!** "

She then shot a yellow lightning-bolt shaped projectile, soon turning into a small burst of fire, at the two slimes. Making them from 2 to 4. And they were even smaller than the last time.

"Hey, this is pretty easy."

And then right when Peach said that, the now group of 4 slimes began charging at us.

_What luck, am I right?_

"Gah! What do we do now?! These things are really fast!" Viridi yelled.

"Allow me." Hanako said as she stepped in front of us. Her Phanto mask was over her face and her hands were glowing a black aura.

_She's actually going to use shadow magic!_

" **S…Sagitta Adamas!** "

Hanako shot two shadow balls spinning in a circle at the group of slime. Each and every one of them being pushed back to the spot where the original big slime was resting on.

Then just seconds later…

***BOOM***

…

…

…

…

…

" _Woah…_ " The five of us said.

"S-So, that's shadow magic. Impressive." Viridi said.

" _Phew._  It has been a while since I have done that. I am glad that I still have mastered it." Hanako said as she turned to us while removing her mask.

"That was  **SO COOL!** " Moon and I yelled in excitement.

"Just like how I remember it." Mio added.

"Whether it's being used by a fighter or a princess, it looks to be really powerful." Peach said.

"Of course. I do only plan to use these powers for good. Like helping my friends and rescuing my mother." Hanako said with a small smile.

"Well said, Hanako!" I cheered.

***BEEPING NOISE***

"Huh? Now what?" I pulled the Game Boy from my back pocket and looked at the screen.

_***Shortcut to Farshire Kingdom detected. Now showing route.*** _

"A shortcut?" We all said in surprise.

"Well, that just made our trip a whole lot easier!" Moon cheered.

"Aipom!"

"Where's the shortcut, Zelda?" Peach asked me.

"It says…it says that it's up ahead. This way."

We continued walking down the path until we made a detour for the shortcut. After about 20 minutes, the Game Boy made a noise again.

This time saying:

_***Shortcut found. Continue northeast.*** _

"This is it, apparently."

We all stared at where the Game Boy had guided us. A dark and gloomy forest with trees that barely had any leaves on them. The atmosphere was rather unnerving to me. And apparently, I wasn't the only one.

" _Z-Z-Z-Zelda! Wh-Wh-Where did that thing take us to?!_ " Mio asked. She was shaking with fear as she continued to look at this forest.

"Uh…says here that this place is called…Sky Tree Forest."

" _ ***shriek***_ "

"Sky Tree Forest? I've never heard of such a place." Hanako said.

"It oddly sounds familiar." Peach added.

"Well, it looks like we'll get to Farshire faster by going through here."

" _Y-You sure that thing isn't broken or something?_ " Mio asked.

"Are you actually scared, Mio?"

"N-No! I-I'm not scared! I-I just…I just think this place is creepy."

"So, you're scared." Viridi said.

" **I-I'm not!** "

"Well, then if you're not then let's go inside. You can show me this bravery that you claim you have." Viridi then began to push Mio closer to the forest entrance. Struggling a few times due to Mio's "bravery".

" _ **V-V-Viridi! St-St-Stop! DON'T PUSH ME IN THERE!**_ "

_She's definitely terrified._

" _Ooh._  Never explored a supposed haunted forest before. I can cross this off my bucket list!" Moon said.

"You're 14. Why do you have a bucket list?" Peach asked her.

"For a person like me, a bucket list is something that becomes a part of you once you start your first adventure. It's just as big as a necessity as having a Pokémon partner."

"Aipom Aipom."

"Aipom just confirmed it."

"Really now…"

"That is interesting…"

"Zelda. Hanako. Don't get any ideas." Peach said to us both.

"Alright fine, Peachy. We should probably catch up to those two before Viridi pushes Mio in too deep."

"Agreed." Hanako said. "Mio did look scared."

" **I'M NOT SCARED!** "

…

…

"H-How did she hear us?" I asked.

We pondered that question in our minds as we began walking inside the forest. Promised that our trip to Farshire will be shorter.

_Haunted forest, huh? What to expect from this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After their first battle encounter, the girls reach an unfamiliar place known as Sky Tree Forest. A shortcut is said to exist in this forest. But who knows what else?
> 
> I'm still taking suggestions for Zelda characters and bosses for this story. It would really help make this story better. So please don't hesitate to lend a hand.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	15. Bootiful Mansion

A few minutes had passed by and we had eventually caught up to Viridi and Mio. The latter was somewhat calmer than when we first entered this forest.

" _O-O-Oh. L-Let's just find this…fr-freaking exit already!_ "

Like I said. Somewhat calmer.

"You know. I never thought about it at first…but you girls think we'll find any ghosts in here?" Zelda asked.

" **W-We better not!** "

"Zelda. Don't rile up Mio all over again." I said to her.

"What? I'm just asking. This is usually the type of setting you find ghosts in. so, we really shouldn't be surprised if we do run into one or two."

"She does have a point." Moon added.

"Z-Zelda! C-Can you please  **NOT**  jinx us into finding a ghost?! I don't know what would happen if we…"

"Haunted house up ahead." Viridi said.

" _ ***shriek***_ "

"A haunted house? That's another thing off my bucket list!"

"Moon…" I facepalmed.

This haunted house wasn't anything to mock at. It looked rather creepy with its nearly destroyed look and had this weird aura coming from its walls. But with its shape and model…I can't help the feeling that I've seen this particular house before.

From where…I'm just not remembering.

_***Shortcut found. Continue northeast.*** _

"Well, the Game Boy says the shortcut is through this house. So, we might as well go inside." Zelda said.

" _D-Do we have to? We can't just go around?_ " Mio asked.

"It's a straight line, Mio. I don't think we can go around."

" _B-B-But…_ "

"Come on, Mio. If you're  _ **really**_  scared, then you got the goddess Viridi protecting you. I'll watch over you like the scared human you are. _ ***giggle***_ "

_She is so enjoying this._

" _Grr…_ I'm not scared. And I can most certainly do it without your teasing, Viridi." Mio grew offended.

"Oh? Care to prove it, then?"

"Yes. I shall. I shall prove to you that I'm not afraid. And then you'll eat those words. Let us go!"

Mio then made her way towards the house. Her fear seemingly gone in just mere seconds.

"Mio sure sounds really confident now." Hanako said.

"Yeah, no kidding." I added. "Why you tease her like that, Viridi?"

"What? I wasn't teasing. It was a taunting maneuver. Worked all the time when I was going against Palutena."

"Uh…Viridi. "Taunt" and "Tease" mean the same thing."

"Tch. I-I knew that! I-I was testing you, that's all!"

" _Really?_ " Zelda, Moon, and I were not buying it.

"Wh-Whatever. L-Let's just go after Mio before she gets lost in there."

"Fine, fine. It's pointing this way." Zelda said as she started guiding us inside with the Game Boy.

* * *

We caught up with Mio again as we explored this haunted mansion. As one might expect from a "haunted house", it's old, dusty, and completely abandoned. But the more we explored it, the more of this place started looking familiar to me. It's still not coming to me. So, I'm still at a total blank for what this is.

"Geez, this place is dark. I'm not sure how we're gonna find out way out of here." Moon said.

"Aipom…"

"Yeah, no kidding." Viridi said. "I kinda regret teasing you into coning in here, Mio."

" _ ***giggle***_  Thank you, Viridi. I shall enjoy this victory once we get out of here."

"Yeah, don't get cocky."

"What about you, Hanako?" Zelda asked.

"I can see just fine."

"Huh? How?" We all asked.

"My shadow magic allows me to see in the dark. Even without the Phanto mask on."

"Okay. I'm officially jealous." Zelda said.

"How? You can use light and dark magic, can't you?" I asked.

"Yeah, but…other than summoning a phantom, I don't really have much dark…"

***THUNDER NOISE***

" **Gah! Wh-What was that?!** " Mio shouted as loud as she could as she hid behind Viridi.

" _Someone has their fear back…_ " Viridi teased.

" **Sh-Shut up!** "

"Eeeheeheehee! Let's have some fun! Heehee!"

"Wh-Who said that?" Moon asked.

Right after that, the room we were in began to spin in a circle. While some ominous music began to play along with it.

" _ ***shriek***_ **What the heck is going on?!** " Mio yelled in fear.

" **Gah! Mio, let go! You're choking me!** " Viridi yelled.

" _Th-This is truly not normal…_ " Hanako said.

" _Th-This is too creepy. H-Hang on tight, Aipom._ " Moon said.

" _Aipom._ "

" _P-P…Peachy. I-I'm actually scared right now…_ " Zelda whined as she held on to me tightly.

But I honestly ignored her. And pretty much everyone else. As I was currently playing this tune over and over in my head. Trying to remember where I've heard it before.

_This song…after hearing it loop a couple of times, I've finally recognized it. Although, I really wish I didn't._

While still ignoring the others, I raised my right hand in the air and built up power from it.

" **PK Flash!** "

I shot a giant ball of green light up to the ceiling and in an instant, short-circuited with the power. Turning on the lights in a flash.

…

Th-That pun was not intentional.

" **Th-The power's on!** " Mio cheered. While still choking Viridi.

"Peach. Was that by any chance…your power?" Hanako asked.

"Yeah. It's actually part of a few others called PSI. I'll explain the gist of it later."

"I see. It does have me interested."

"But for now… _He's gotta be here somewhere…_ "

"Huh? Who?" Zelda asked.

"Eeeheehee! Aw, Boo-ey! You've figured it out again, Peach. Like you always Boo. Heehee!"

And then the person I knew was doing all this appeared in front of us. And while I grew annoyed at this…"person", the other grew scared.

" **GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!** "

And by "others", I mean Mio.

"That wasn't fun at all, Boo." I said.

"Heehee! Still unamused as usual, huh? You're really hard to please. Heehee!"

This should come as an obvious fact to most people, but Boos are the equivalent of ghosts in the Mushroom Kingdom. Their main goal in…afterlife…is to scare the living daylights out of people.

…

…Mainly Luigi.

But the thing is…this particular Boo doesn't scare people and instead likes to pull pranks on them. And for a good while now, most of these pranks have done to me.

Which makes me know this Boo all too well.

"No way. A Boo is here?" Zelda asked.

"Geez. That was a mean trick, you know!" Moon yelled.

"Aipom!"

"Heehee! Well, at least I got someone scared straight. Eeeheeheehee!"

" _ ***sigh***_  What are you doing here, Boo?" I asked.

"What else? Pranking people. It's fun. Heehee!"

"No, I mean why are you here in this world? How did you get here, anyway?"

" _Oh._  You mean that."

…

…

"I Boo know."

"Uh…what?"

"He basically said "I don't know" in Booish." I said to Zelda.

" _Oh._ "

"What do you mean you don't know?" Viridi asked. "This better not be another trick."

"Heehee! I wish it was. But I honestly don't know how I got here. I was just messing around the woods as usual when I saw this  _ **really**_  bright light. Heehee! It looked interesting. So I followed it. Then I ended up here and found this Bootiful place. Heehee! It's so dark and scary. And when I saw that you ended up here, I knew I had to put this place to the ultimate test. Heehee! But even then, you still figured me out. You're  _ **really**_  crafty for a former princess. Eeeheehee!"

_***sigh*** _ _Great. He even knows about me leaving the Mushroom Kingdom purposely. This ghost does not let up._

"Well whatever, Boo. We're really busy. So, can you just show us the way out of here?" I asked.

"Heehee! Sure thing, Peach. It should be…"

***THUNDER NOISE***

All of a sudden, the power went off again as the room resumed spinning and the song continued playing. With an added bonus of random furniture flying in the air.

" _ ***scream of fear***_ **It's happening again!** " Mio screamed again.

" _ **Boo!**_ " I was starting to get irritated.

"Eeeheeheehee! Let's have some other-worldly fun, Former Princess Peach! You all will have the Boo-est of luck! Eeeheeheehee!"

_***sigh*** _ _Just my rotten luck…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exploring a haunted mansion has led Peach to reunite with an old nuisance. Now she must deal with Boo's nonsensical pranks as she and the others make their way out of the mansion.
> 
> Fun fact. Boo was planned for a while now. In fact, he was supposed to appear all the way back in the Battle Royale chapters. But was pushed aside in favor of Moon.
> 
> I should probably say this now. It won't be just Nintendo characters that will be in this story. Ones from third-parties will make an appearance, too. And I already have three in mind. Granted, they're from one series. But they still count.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	16. An Enemy is Near

Boo eventually stopped with his pranks (for now) and was now guiding us out of this haunted house (which he claims it’s his now). After all of that, Peach and Viridi are annoyed, Mio and Hanako are scared straight, and me…Eh. I guess I’m somewhere in the middle.

“So, you really have no idea how you got here?” Peach asked Boo.

“Heehee! Nope. Not a Boo. I just mysteriously appeared here all Boo-diddly. What is this place any-Boo?”

“It’s one big world. Containing six different kingdoms.” I said. “We all just came from one of them called Mythgrove.”

“And we are currently heading to another one called Farshire.” Hanako added.

“There’s another one up ahead? _Boo_ , I’m not sure how they’re gonna deal with him. Heehee!”

“Huh? Him? Who’s him?” Peach asked.

“ _Well…_ I could tell you. Or, I could just…”

“Boo, I swear. We are not in the mood for another one of your pranks. Either tell us, or I’ll wring it out of your tongue.” Viridi said.

“Heehee! Wow. Violent as always, Viridi. No wonder Palutena went after you.”

“ **Sh-Shut up! I had a good reason!** ”

_There is **NEVER** a good reason for wiping out humanity…_

“ _But…_ Okay, I’ll tell ya. When I was wandering around this forest, I **DID** see Dry Bowser around. Heehee!”

“Dr-Dry Bowser?! Are you serious?!”

“Yep. Although, if you ask me…he looked **_pretty_** suspicious. Not sure why. Heehee!”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Aw, geez…”

“Peach, do you know this Dry Bowser?” Mio asked.

“Yeah, I do. He’s the skeletal doppelgänger of another person I know named Bowser. And that person often kidnaps me as a way to take over my world. He’s a total pain. ”

“I see. So, is this Dry Bowser the same way?”

“Eh…not really. He’s more so the “secret boss” type. Although, he sometimes joins in on the go-karting and tennis events we have.”

“Hmph. So you invite Dry Bowser, but not your best friend? I see you now, Peachy.” I said.

“Seriously. When are you gonna drop that already?” Peach looked at me with an annoyed look.

“Anyway. You said that Dry Bowser was heading for Farshire right, Boo?”

“I Boo know. Pro-Boo-bly. Heehee! He looked pretty serious about it. Heehee!”

“Well, great. We can go after him and Ridley at the same time. Killing two birds with one stone.”

“Ridley?”

“Yeah. He’s here, too.” Moon said. “He kidnapped our friend Hanako’s mom, the queen of Mythgrove, and we’re currently chasing after him.”

“ _Oh! I see now!_ ” Boo said as he spun his body in a clockwise circle. “Well, in that case…”

***THUNDER NOISE***

“ ** _*shriek*_ Not again!**” Mio screamed in fear as the power went out and the music began to play once more.

“ **Boo! You little…** ” Peach yelled.

“Eeeheeheehee! Boo-est of luck, Peach and Zelda! You’re gonna need it from here on out! Eeeheeheehee!”

***THUNDER NOISE***

***THUNDER NOISE***

***THUNDER NOISE***

“ ** _*shriek*_ Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!**”

“Mio! Calm down! Look!” Viridi yelled.

…

…

…

“W-We’re…We’re outside?”

From the looks of it, Boo had sent us all the way to the other side of the forest. And we were looking at more grassy hills and a small path ahead of us.

**_*You are now 14 minutes from your destination*_ **

“Wow! That really was a shortcut! It would’ve taken us an extra day if we didn’t take it!” I cheered as I looked at the Game Boy.

“So, in the end…that Boo fellow helped us out, yes?” Hanako asked cheerfully.

“ ** _*moan*_** _He’s still creepy, though. And his pranks aren’t funny, either._ ”

“Join the club, Mio.” Peach said to her.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Alright, girls. **Let’s go!** ” I cheered.

We then continued on the same path that led to the forest in the first place. As it was now leading us straight to Farshire. Yet, another new kingdom.

_Wow, I haven’t done this much traveling since…well, ever. Actually._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The group of heroes are inching closer to the next kingdom. But with new information in the back of their minds. For some reason, Dry Bowser has ended up in this world, too. What will happen once they do find him? The answer coming soon.
> 
> This story will be going on a short break for a while. I have other stories that need working on. But it will be back soon. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	17. Welcome to the Farshire Kingdom

**_*You have reached your destination.*_ **

“Huh? Did we really? All I’m seeing is a bunch of mountains.” Zelda said as she was looking at the Game Boy.

“Is that thing on the fritz already?” Viridi asked.

“No. The device is right.” Hanako said.

“It is?”

“Yes. Farshire is surrounded by tall mountains as a way of protection from monster attacks. The entrance is indeed nearby.”

“I see. You sure seem to know a lot about the other kingdoms, Hanako.”

“Being the princess of one of them, it is basically a requirement for me to know about the others. Especially for matters such as this.”

“Makes sense to me.”

“Protected by mountains…hey, Hanako. Do you think the ninja school is hidden in these mountains?” Moon asked.

“I am…not sure. As Silvia has stated, it is a rumor at best.”

“ _Oh. I see._ ” Moon sounded disappointed at the answer she was given.

“You really want to see that ninja school, do you?” I asked her.

“ _Is it that obvious?_ ”

“Although, Moon.” Hanako continued. “If this ninja school truly does exist, then being hidden in the mountains would make perfect sense.”

“Really?! Then we still have a chance, Aipom!”

“Aipom Aipom!”

“Farshire…the kingdom of fire and ninjas.” Mio said to herself.

_Right. Mio uses ice magic. And she’s stated before that fire is her weakness. Ninjas…probably not. But the fire part sounds troublesome for her._

“It’s okay, Mio.” I said to her. “I got your back on this. No need to worry.”

“Right. Thank you, Peach. I feel reassured now.” Mio said with a smile.

“Alright, then. Let’s find that entrance.” Zelda said.

We then let Hanako lead the way to it. Since she’s more familiar to this kingdom than the rest of us.

_Six of these kingdoms, huh? And they get bigger as we go on. Wish my world was like this._

 

Hanako eventually led us to the entrance. And the rest of us were in shock with what we were seeing. The buildings were more-so like mini-temples. With colors of brown and mostly red. And there were tons of flags, too. With a crest or symbol on every single one of them.

And. The most important thing about this place was…it was really **_REALLY_** huge. Way bigger than Mythgrove ever was.

“ _Woah…so this is it?_ ” Zelda asked.

“Is this truly…” I asked.

“Friends, I bid you welcome.” Hanako said as she stood in front of us. “Welcome to the Farshire Kingdom.”

“It’s bigger than I’ve ever imagined.” Mio said.

“The size is pure crazy. I’ve never seen a place so big.” Moon said.

“Aipom…”

“Even I have to admit. This place is impressive. The humans in this world really know how to advance themselves.” Viridi said.

“So…where do we go first?” I asked.

“Hmm…well…”

***INSERT RINGTONE CHIME HERE***

“Wait, what’s that noise?” Zelda asked once we started hearing a chime of sorts going off.

“Zelda, I think…I think it’s the Game Boy.” Moon said.

“Huh?” Zelda then took a look at it to see that it really was the source of the chime. And the screen read “ _Incoming call_ ”.

“That thing…is a phone?” Viridi asked. Just as confused as the rest of us who were familiar with how Game Boys usually work.

“Such an advanced piece of technology.” Mio said.

“Indeed, it is.” Hanako added.

Zelda pressed the A button on the Game Boy and the chime stopped. Only to have a woman appear on the screen.

A woman we know all too well.

“ _Hello, girls._ ”

“Silvia? You’re calling us on this thing?” Zelda asked.

“ _Pretty neat, huh? I never knew about the feature myself until I read the manual._ ”

“Just where did you get this thing, anyway?” Viridi asked.

“ _That is a secret between guild members only. Not telling._ ”

“Hmm…suspicious as always.”

“ _So, it looks like you’ve reached Farshire already. That was quick._ ”

“We took a shortcut through a haunted forest and met up with a ghost.” Zelda said.

“ _Uh…what?_ ”

“Don’t ask.” I said with an exasperated sigh.

“ _Uh…okay, then. Well, since you’re there, you can head over to the guild. The commander there is waiting for you._ ”

“Huh? You mean there’s a guild here, too?”

“ _Of course. Every kingdom has a guild. It like a standard thing to have._ ”

“Mine didn’t.” Zelda and I said with a sweatdrop.

“ _Well, yours are in a different world. So, they don’t count._ ”

“I guess…”

“ _Chief. We require your assistance._ ” We heard a voice in the background.

“ _Oh. Sorry, girls. Gotta go. We’re really busy over here._ ”

“Wait, where’s the guild for this place?” I asked.

“ _The Game Boy should tell you. It’s a map and a navigator, isn’t it?_ ”

_A map, a navigator, and a phone. This is **NOT** a normal Game Boy._

“ _Welp. Good luck, girls. See you later._ ” The screen then cut off and it showed the map once more.

**_*Current distance from the guild is 4.2 miles.*_ **

“It already knows where we’re trying to go.” Moon said.

“What kind of Game Boy is this?” Viridi asked.

“Who knows.” Zelda said. “It’s probably the most helpful thing we’ve gotten since coming to this world. Way helpful than that book Palutena dropped on my head.”

“Huh.”

“Well, we can look around the kingdom as we head for the guild. Shall we do so?” Hanako asked.

“Sure, why not.” I said. “We might as well since we’ll most likely be here for a couple of days.”

“Makes sense to me.” Mio said.

 

And so, we did just that. Looked around the already bigger Farshire Kingdom as we got closer to the guild area. Wherever it is.

We eventually did find it. unlike the one in Mythgrove, this one was an average-sized building that was next to the pub. Makes it less crowded to me. I actually prefer this over how Mythgrove had theirs.

“Hello? Anyone here?” Zelda asked as we entered the building. It was nearly empty. The only people that filled this place was…well, us.

“Is there no one here?” I asked.

“Oh, hey. You girls are here.” We then heard a new voice. And then we saw a woman appear from behind the desk upfront. Only this woman…looked **_oddly_** familiar.

“Wait, what?!”

“I don’t get it! What’s going on?!” Zelda asked.

“Silvia?! What are you doing here?!” Mio asked.

“Huh? Oh. You’re probably confusing me with my twin sister.”

“T-Twin sister?” We all asked.

“Silvia is the commander of the Mythgrove guild. My name is Margret. I’m the commander of the Farshire guild.”

“Really now?” Mio asked. “I never knew that Silvia had a twin sister. And I’ve known her all my life.”

“It’s not just me. There’s actually 6 of us.”

“ **S-SIX?!** ” We all shouted.

“Yep. One for each kingdom. We’re all guild commanders, too. We also tend to look and sound alike. It confuses a lot of people.”

“Aw, geez.” Moon said with a facepalm. “This is **EXACTLY** like the “Nurse Joy” thing back in my world.”

“Wait, there’s more than one Nurse Joy?” I asked.

“Yeah. And they all look and sound the same, too _. It gets really confusing._ ”

“ _Aipom Aipom._ ” Aipom seemed to agree.

“I see…”

“So sorry if this confuses you all.” Margret said. “We didn’t think this whole mess we’re in would happen. So, Sis and I never thought of telling you girls. We’ll make it clearer next time.”

_Next time? How many more encounters are we going to have with you sisters?_

“Alright, then.” And of course, Zelda completely accepts it. “What’s been happening around here since it began?”

“I’ll give you a quick rundown in the back. Just in case any villagers come in. News of the Mythgrove Queen’s kidnapping has already spread and they’re already panicked.”

“It has already spread? Oh, this isn’t good to hear.” Hanako grew worried.

“Don’t worry, Hanako. We got this. We’ll make Ridley regret kidnapping your mother.” Zelda said cheerfully.

…

…

“Y-Yes. We will do so. Thank you…Zelda.” Hanako grew a determined look on her face.

“Alright. We’re ready.”

“Eh. You guys go on ahead. I’m going to go walk around some more.” I said.

“What for?”

“I just want to, okay? I’ve got some stuff on my mind that I want to think about.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Fine. Just don’t take too long.”

“Fine, fine.”

“Peach, if you don’t mind, I would like to join as well.” Mio said.

“Sure, Mio. I don’t mind. I could use some company, anyway.”

“Well, good. I’ll be glad to give you said company. **_*giggle*_** ”

_She’s so cheerful about it, too. Might not be bad at all if it was just the two of us for a bit._

“Alright. We’ll be back.” I said before Mio and I walked out of the guild and back into the gigantic kingdom of Farshire.

…

…

_Wait, hold on. I should’ve gotten the Game Boy from Zelda. ***sigh*** I hope we don’t get lost here._

 

Mio and I began walking through the streets of Farshire looking around the place. We haven’t gotten lost yet. And I’m hoping that it stays that way. Lost in a new world is not a good thing.

“So, Peach. What thoughts do you have in mind, anyway?” Mio asked me.

“Huh? Oh, well…I’ve been thinking of my time here recently.”

“What do you mean? Do you wish to return to your world?”

“N-No, of course not. I’m really enjoying it here. For once, I feel totally relaxed and Zelda’s never been happier. But then there’s this thing that I’m worried about.”

“Worried?”

“I mean…we thought it would be just the two of us here. But then we saw Viridi & Phosphora, Moon & Aipom, Boo just a moment ago…”

“ _R-Right. H-Him…_ ” Mio started to shiver in fear.

“You don’t like ghosts, do you?”

“N-No. Not at all.”

“I see.”

“A-Anyway. You were saying…”

“Oh, right. Well, so many people have mysterious came to this world. Especially the one person we’re currently chasing after. And then there’s another person from my world. All of this madness happening…we left our worlds to escape all of that. But they somehow followed us here.”

“Well, at least some of them are friends.”

“Yeah, I know. But that’s not what I’m worried about.”

Mio went silent for a bit. Probably taking my thoughts into a thought of her own. “I do see what you mean.”

“You do?” I asked in shock.

“Granted, I am not experienced in traveling to other worlds. But your worries do make sense. I would be concerned as well if other people from my old homeworld started appearing for no reason.”

“Really? Wow, Mio. I was actually afraid to bring this up because I thought the others wouldn’t take it seriously. Especially Zelda.”

“She would not be concerned?”

“Well, she would. After I would explain it to her more clearly. Compared to me, she isn’t that bright. Don’t tell her I said that, though.”

“ ** _*giggle*_** Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thanks, Mio.” I said with a smile.

_Wow. Mio’s really nice to talk to. I don’t normally have conversations like this with anyone back in my world. The only exception is Lucas. But even then, he has to come from his world just to visit me. And that’s whenever Smash Bros. isn’t going on._

“So, if you are worried about these other people showing up, what do you think is the cause?” Mio asked.

“I, uh…I didn’t think that far. But based past experiences, I bet it’s some dark force out there that we don’t know about.”

“Hmm…that does make some sense.”

“ _Hey there, girls._ ”

We were then suddenly encountered by two “tough” looking guys. Both had a sword with them and a limited amount of armor.

I wasn’t impressed in the slightest.

“ _You ladies look a little lost. You that it’s dangerous to be out here. What with reports of the purple dragon creature being around here._ ” One of the guys said.

“ _You could use some protection._ ” The other said. “ _And we’ll be happy to provide some for you._ ”

“Uh, no.” I said.

“That is rather nice of you. But we can handle ourselves.” Mio added.

“Huh?! What you mean?! Don’t you know that it’s a man’s duty to protect the ladies here?!”

“And don’t you know how stereotypical that sounds?” I asked. “We’re not two damsels in distress. We can handle ourselves.”

“ _Oh, really?_ ” One guy asked. “You do know that Farshire is predominantly fire magic. And we can easily tell that you’re an ice magic-user.” He then pointed to Mio.

“You’re done for if you continue on your own.” The other said. “Unless you let us protect you, that is.”

“Um…that is okay. I am sorry, but I must decline your offer.”

“D-De…Decline?!” The boys yelled.

“Yeah. Decline. You know. Reject, refuse, turn down. I’m sure you know what it means.” I said with a smug look.

“ _Grr…_ look, you. You’re getting a little too cocky.” Boy with sword #1 said.

“ ** _I’M_** getting cocky? You two are the ones who keep bugging us. What do you want, anyway?”

“Tch. Well, at first, we wanted to protect you. But now, we want to attack you instead!”

“ ** _*shriek*_** P-P-Peach, what do we do?” Mio asked me.

“ _Grr…_ **PK Freeze!** ” I blasted a PSI-based snowflake from my hand and aimed it at the two boys. Freezing their swords for a bit before they were able to free them using their fire magic.

“Gah! You’re an ice magic user, too?!” Boy with sword #2 asked.

“Why are you worried?” The other boy asked. “Fire beats ice! We got them cornered!”

“P-Peach! D-Do you have a water spell with you?!” Mio asked.

“Uh…water spell?” I really had no idea what she was talking about.

“ _Aw, geez!_ ”

“ ** _*chuckle*_** _Maybe you should’ve let us protect you, girls. Too late now!_ ”

The two boys then raised their swords up in the air and charged up their fire magic. Ready to attack.

“ _Ready for this?!_ **Fire Slash!** ” They both yelled as they brought their swords down hard. Firing a crescent-shaped burst of fire at the both of us.

“ ** _*shriek*_ Oh, no!**” Mio screamed in fear.

_Dang it! I don’t know any water spells! But I have to do something!_

“ **PK…** ”

“ **Cross Counter!** ”

***CLANG***

“H-Huh?!”

We all noticed that the crescent fires were gone. And that there was someone standing in front of us. Holding a sword of their own.

“You boys. How **DARE** you attack a lady like so?!”

“ _Tch! I-It’s the…the Ninja Warrior!_ ”

“Ninja…Warrior?” Mio and I asked.

“That is right. Now if you want me to spare you injuries, I suggest you flee from here. Immediately.”

“ _Y-Y-Yes! R-R-Right away! W-W-We’re leaving right now! Come on, man!_ ”

“ _H-Hey! W-Wait for me!_ ”

The two boys then fled in fear of their…lives, I guess(?). All while this mysterious Ninja Warrior continued to stand there.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Those two will never learn, will they? Such a shame.” This warrior then turned to us…and it turns out to be a girl. She had dark blue hair with a black feather pinned to it.

She wore an odd-looking white jacket (looked like a small sleeveless kimono, to be honest) with a big red ribbon tied to the back of it, a grey scarf around her neck, and black tights that even covered her feet while wearing white sandals.

And then, there was the weapon of choice in her hand. I may be mistaking, but it looked like…a katana?

_Just who is this girl?_

“Are you two alright?” She asked us.

…

…

“Uh…yeah. We’re fine. Better than a few moments ago.” I said.

“Yes, we truly are.” Mio added. “Thank you for your help.”

“It is not a problem.” The girl then went silent at she looked at Mio. “Oh, hey. Look.”

“Huh?” I then looked at Mio. “Aw, geez! Mio, your hand!”

“Huh?” Mio then looked at her hand. At some point, it had gain a deep cut and it was currently bleeding. “ ** _*shriek*_ Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!**”

“M-My apologies.” The girl said. “I-I may have a bit reckless with my sword. Please allow me to take care of it.”

“T-Take care of it?”

“It would go against my duties as a ninja if I just leave you be.”

“W-Wait. D-Did you just say…ninja?” I asked.

“W-Well…I shall explain later. Right now, your friend needs medical care. Now…let us go.”

“Huh? Wait, go where?! Where are you…”

“ **Vanishing Star!** ”

“ **WAIT A SEC…** ”

***POOF***

I had a tone of questions for this girl and really wanted to ask them. But we had all disappeared in a cloud of smoke due to whatever she had thrown to the ground. Taking us to who knows where.

_What did we get ourselves into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The girls have arrived at the Farshire Kingdom! And already, they find out that Silvia has…5 identical sisters. And, for Peach and Mio, they’ve encountered a mysterious girl. Claiming to be a “ninja warrior” of some kind. Just what events are about to happen?
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	18. Chaotic Ninjas

“ **Peach! Mio! Where are you guys?!** ”

“Do you really think they’ll hear you if you yell like that?!” Viridi asked me while covering her ears.

“Well, it’s all I can think of. It isn’t like Peach to just disappear like this. W-Willingly, I mean.”

“Right…”

After hearing what we needed to know from Margret (still can’t believe there are basically five other Silvias in this world), we came outside to realize that Peach and Mio still haven’t returned yet. And I was starting to get worried.

“What do you think happened to them? You think they’re okay?” Moon asked.

“I hope so. But Peach can handle herself. Especially since she has PSI now.”

_That’s something I still can’t get used to. Even just by saying it._

“And then Mio has ice magic, right?”

“Correct.” Hanako said. “But Farshire is dominantly fire magic. Ice magic is completely weak against it. So Mio is in real trouble.”

“Aw, geez.” I said with worry. “We better go find them and fast.”

We then started walking around the new kingdom in search of our friends. Thing is…with this being our first time here and it being bigger than the last one, we weren’t sure where to start or if we’ll find them or not.

I know it sounds negative, but that’s what’s on my mind right now.

***LATER…***

“ _Ugh. How long have we’ve been looking?_ ” Moon asked.

“Uh…about an hour at this point.” I said as I looked at the time on the Game Boy.

“ ** _*whine* I’m hungry! Can’t we get something to eat?!_** ”

“We can’t, Moon. Peach has the Credits Bag.”

“ _Ugh. Just great…_ ”

“Don’t you have snacks in your bag?” Viridi asked.

“ _Aipom ate them all…_ ”

“Aipom!” Aipom poked his head out from Moon’s bag with a satisfied grin on his face.

_Then again, he’s always smiling. So, I can’t really tell._

“I see…”

“ **Come on, folks! Step right up! No need to be shy!** ”

“Man. Whoever that is yelling like that is a real loudmouth.” Viridi said with an annoyed tone.

“Yeah, true.” I said. “But, I feel like I’ve heard that voice before.”

“You have?”

“Don’t you recognize it?”

“Well…”

“ **The three of us are the best at solving problems! Just ask us anything! For a small fee, of course!** ”

“…Now that you mention it, it does sound familiar.”

“I recognize it, too.” Moon said. “Do you really think it’s…”

“Only one way to find out.” I said. “Come on.”

The four of us followed the oddly familiar voice to an area in Farshire that was very similar to The Square back in Mythgrove. There were so many people here. But we saw three of them that easily stood out.

And they weren’t even “people”.

“No…way.” Viridi, Moon, and I said in shock.

“Do you three know them?” Hanako asked.

“Well…you can say that.” I said.

“ **Come on, folks! We’re good help! We don’t bite!** ”

“ **Yeah! We may be loud, goofy, and flat broke, but we’re definitely not dangerous!** ”

“ **Charmy!** ”

“What? It’s true.”

“ **Don’t tell them that, you idiot!** ”

“I still do not understand how you two are so calm about the situation we are in.”

“Relax, Espio. This is a problem. And the Chaotix Detective Agency can solve it no problem. We’ve had bigger problems than this.”

“That is true. But given the location we are in, I do not feel like this will be an easy case to solve.”

“Yeah, I see your point. What’s with all the humans here? I haven’t seen this many since taking those assignments from G.U.N.”

“Perhaps this place is dominated by them. Unlike our home.”

“ _Ooh!_ Sounds fun! When can I go play with them?!”

“Focus, Charmy! We need to take a case so that we can get some money!”

“ _Ah! But Vector…_ ”

“Unbelievable. It really is them.” Viridi said.

“Who are they, quite exactly?” Hanako asked.

“Their names are Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee. The three of them are known as Team Chaotix and they run a detective agency.”

“A crocodile, a chameleon, and a bee…running a detective agency? And they talk? I do not understand.”

“I don’t blame you, Hanako.”

“How did they get here?” Moon asked.

“Not sure.” I said. “But seeing as they’re here, it does give me an idea.”

“Like what?” The girls asked me.

“I’ll show ya. Follow me.” We then walked over to the trio and I got their attention.

“Hey there, you three. Long time no see.”

“Huh?! Zelda?!” Vector seemed surprised.

“And Viridi as well.” Espio said.

“No way! Hiya, Moon!” Charmy cheered.

“Hiya, Charmy.” Moon said with a smile.

“So, this is where you ran off to? I knew my detective skills were on to something when we got here.” Vector said.

“Sounds like pure luck to me.” Viridi said.

“What?! You’re seriously doubting me?!”

“Oh please, Vector. You were totally surprised when you saw us just now.”

“Viridi’s got a point, Vector. **_*giggle*_** ”

“Shut it, Charmy.” Vector said as he placed his hand over the bee’s face.

“I do not understand what or how this is happening.” Hanako said with a confused face.

“Hm? Who is the extra girl with you three?” Espio asked.

“U-Um…I-I…I-I am Princess Hanako of the Mythgrove Kingdom. These three are my dear friends that am traveling with.”

“A princess, you say? You contain such a strong power for a mere title such as that.”

“Y-You can sense my shadow magic?”

“Indeed. As one skilled in the art of ninjutsu, I can sense the power deep inside a person. Whether they be friend or foe.”

“Wow. Such power. I am very impressed, Mr. Espio.”

“Such formality in a kid this young…”

“Yeah, no kidding. It’s rather impressive.” Vector said.

“Would you believe that the two of us are the same age?” Moon asked.

“That being…”

“14.”

“ _Woah…_ ” Charmy seemed impressed. But with him being a kid, he’s pretty much impressed with everything. Much like me!

…

…

_Wait…does this mean that I’m just as immature as Charmy? I hope not._

“So, tell us. Why did you run off to a place like this? And how did you get here, most importantly?” Vector asked.

“We should be asking you that.” Viridi said. “Cause I highly doubt any of you have the means, power, or brains to travel to a different world.”

“ _What was that, you kiddy goddess?!_ ”

“ ** _EXCUSE_ me?! _Kiddy_ goddess?! For an anthropomorphic crocodile, you sure got a rude mouth!**”

“ **Same to you! Prone to talk all high and mighty about yourself for a brat that’s close to Charmy’s age!** ”

“ ** _Why I ought…_** ”

The two continued to stare each other down while making threatful growls at one another. While the rest of us watched what was unfolding.

“Sh-Should we stop them?” Hanako asked.

“Nah. Don’t worry about it.” Charmy said. “Vector’s just hot-headed.”

“Hot…headed?”

“Vector is known for having a short temper and aggressive manners. Him starting fights such as this one is nothing new to us.” Espio explained.

“I see. But we should still break them up.”

“I’m on it.” Moon said. “Aipom. Do your thing.”

“Aipom! Aipom Aipom… **Aipom!** ”

***SLAP***

***SLAP***

Aipom had jumped out of the bag and basically slapped both Viridi and Vector in their faces. Leaving a red bruise on them both.

“ ** _Ow!_** ” They both complained.

“Listen, Vector.” I said. “We’ll answer your questions later. Right now, we really need you guy’s help.”

“Really? Our help?”

“ **Yeah, yeah! We finally got a case, Vector!** ” Charmy cheered as he flew around the area in excitement.

“You request our assistance? What for?” Espio asked.

“We’re looking for Peach and a friend of ours named Mio. They said that they were going to walk around a bit but they still haven’t returned. And we’ve been looking for them for well past an hour now.”

“ ** _*chuckle*_** Interesting.” Vector grew a grin on his face. “Alright, ladies. We’ll help you out.”

“Really? That’s great…”

“For a small fee, of course.”

“What?! You mean you’re still charging us?!”

“Hey. Unlike you, we don’t have anything. We mysteriously came to this place without any of our stuff, which includes any cash.”

_Mysteriously? So, they don’t know either? Much like Boo._

“So. Do you plan on paying?”

“ _Ugh._ Fine.” I gave in. “But Peach has our money. So, you won’t get any until we find her.”

“Fair enough. Come on, boys. We’ve got a case to solve.”

“Right.” Espio said.

“ **Yeah! Time to rock ‘n roll!** ” Charmy cheered as he flew around some more.

“We appreciate your assistance.” Hanako said with a bow.

“ ** _*sigh*_** This is going to be something else. Let’s just hurry up and find those two.” Viridi said.

And so, with all of that settled, we continued our search for Peach and Mio. This time, with three expert detectives on our side. We’ll find them no problem.

…

…

_But still…what stuff did Peach have in her mind?_

* * *

  ***CHANGE OF POV***

“ ** _*sad moan*_** ”

“How’s your hand, Mio?” I asked her.

“Well…the bleeding has stopped thanks to the bandage wrap. But now this means that I can not hold my staff correctly. And thus, I am unable to perform any ice magic.”

“Oh. I see. Well, I’m sure it’ll heal soon. It wasn’t that bad, too begin with.”

“That is true.”

“But still…that girl brought us here in such a quick flash. How did she do such a thing?”

“Did she not say that she was a ninja?”

“Eh. I’m not sure if that’s believable. It must be something else. But for now…just where are we?”

The two of us ended up in an old temple-like shack. It looked rather fancy. With stuff that you would commonly see back in the samurai days.

We haven’t seen that girl since she brought us her and fixed Mio’s hand. We were told to wait here in this small room, but this was over an hour ago and our questions this situation we’re in were slowly growing bigger.

“It…looks like a temple.” Mio said. “But its size reminds me of a castle.”

“Really?” I took a look around from the window nearby. The only sight I could see was the really large blossom garden. “Now that I look at it, it kinda does feel like a castle. You can’t even see Farshire from here.”

“Huh? Can’t see Farshire?” Mio asked as she walked over to me to look out the window. “Oh, dear.”

You really couldn’t see Farshire from where we were looking at. Pass the garden were the outer walls of this place. And even further were those mountains that we first saw when arriving at this kingdom. Completely covered in fog.

“Peach…where are we?”

“I have no idea, Mio.”

“Aw, good. I see that you two are doing well.”

We turned around to see the “ninja” girl from before. This time, with an old man who was a little shorter than her with a long white beard. He was also carrying a weird-looking wooden cane.

“Yes, we are. Thank you again for treating my injury.” Mio said.

“It is fine by me. I was the one who caused it. It is the least I can do.”

“So, uh…not to be rude or anything, but…where are we, exactly?” I asked.

“This is a sacred palace owned by my family for generations. The current owner being my grandfather who stands right beside me.”

“Greetings, young ones.” The old man said. “I am known as Kenjiro. Owner and master of the Shadouheizu Temple.”

“Shadouheizu Temple?” We both asked.

“A sacred temple that also hides in secret from the public. Only those who are aware of its existence and truly wish to become stronger can come here and train to become ninjas.”

“N-Ninjas?”

“Peach, it really is true.” Mio said to me.

“Who would’ve thought…”

“So, you two are aware?” The girl asked.

“Well…kinda. We heard that it was a rumor when first arriving here. We came all the way from Mythgrove.”

“We would explain why, but we do not wish to worry anybody here.” Mio added.

“Hmm…do not worry. You do not have to explain.” Kenjiro said.

“W-We do not need to?”

“Indeed. For we know your reasons for you coming to Farshire…Princess Peach, I presume?”

“ **H-Huh?!** ” We both yelled in shock.

“I see. So, it is true. Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom…” The girl said.

“ **W-W-Wait, hold on! H-How do you both know who I am?!** ” I asked.

“Well…I believe it is time for the truth to come out. Do you not agree, Grandfather?”

“Yes. I believe so.”

“The truth?” Mio and I were confused.

“ ***clears throat*** The truth is…I am known as Kaede. Secretly a ninja warrior in training…and the princess of the Farshire Kingdom.”

“Th-The princess… **of the Farshire Kingdom?!** ”

“It may seem unbelievable, but it is true.”

“Woah…” Mio and I were in total disbelief. Not only were we rescued by the princess of the Farshire Kingdom, who is secretly a ninja, but she knows that I came from a different world. A lot like Hanako did when we first met her.

“We would be happy to explain it all to you girls. If you would follow us, I mean.” Kenjiro said.

Mio and I looked at each other. Still in shock from what we just heard. And completely unsure of what to do.

“ _Peach…I don’t think we have a choice._ ”

“ _I think you’re right, Mio._ ” I whispered back to her. “Alright. Lead the way.”

“Thank you very much.” Kaede said with a bow. It felt weird to see. Even though she is a princess.

The two of us then followed the two residents of the Shadouheizu Temple out of the room we were in for a good hour and a half. About to find out how they know us and what exactly do they know.

_Seriously. What did we get ourselves into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 new characters in a single chapter. That’s a new record. For my standards.
> 
> First, of all, you know how I said back in chapter 14 that third-party characters will be making appearances in this story and that I had three in mind from the same series? Well, it was Team Chaotix that I was referring to. This is my first time writing anything Sonic-related and I figured I start with the trio known for their comedic antics. Besides, I’m experienced in writing humorous stuff. They seemed like a perfect fit for me.
> 
> The Princess of the Farshire Kingdom and a ninja warrior in training. Kaede won’t be the last princess to be introduced here. Since there are 6 kingdoms. But the next one is…someone you wouldn’t expect to be one. That’s all I’m saying.
> 
> By the way, I’m still taking suggestions for any Zelda characters or bosses to show up here. I’m still looking for one to rival Zelda in a way. Any suggestions will do. I’ll consider them all.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	19. The Creation of Farshire

“Hey, I forgot. What’s this place called again?”

“It’s called Farshire, Charmy.” I said to the young bee.

“Farshire? What a weird name. what does it even mean?”

“Farshire is the name that represents the history this kingdom has had with the element of fire.” Hanako said. “It goes back to centuries ago. When the Sheoru Volcano had its biggest and final eruption.”

“Eruption?” Moon asked.

“That eruption nearly destroyed this land. The molted lava burning everything in its path and the earthquakes that came with it breaking the ground to pieces.”

“W-Woah…” I sounded terrified.

“Sounds like it was the end of the world.” Viridi said.

“It was to be believed that it was the end of the world. But instead, all of that destruction ended up creating new land for the ancestors to claim. And with that, this kingdom soon became to be.”

“I see.” Espio said. “So, this world is no stranger to abnormal phenomenon.”

“You sure know a lot this place, Kid.” Vector said.

“It is a requirement of being a princess that I am knowledgeable of the other kingdoms here. I am sure that it was the same with you both right, Zelda?”

“Yeah, she has a point. Even though I’ve never been to some of these other kingdoms, I had to know a ton of stuff about them. Though, it varies depending on what Zelda I’m based on.”

“I see.” Hanako said.

We continued walking through the large kingdom of Farshire. Still looking for Peach and Mio. We didn’t think we were getting any closer to finding them. Even with Vector, Espio, and Charmy with us.

But then…

“Wait! I sense something.” Espio suddenly said.

“Really? You do?” I asked.

“What is it, Espio?” Vector asked.

“It’s a strong force of power…coming from west of this very spot.”

“West of this area…is the Sheoru Mines.” Hanako said.

“The Sheoru Mines?” Viridi asked.

“It is the aftermath of the volcano erupting that long ago. It created deep underground caves from the torn-apart land. And the people here have turned it into a mining ground for coal.”

“Could Peach and Mio be there?” Moon asked.

“It’s unclear on what this power is, but it’s a big one. Peach and your friend might be there. But I cannot give a definitive answer.” Espio said.

“Well, it’s a start.” Vector said. “Lead the way, Espio.”

“Right. Follow me.”

“Yeah! Alright! Time to have some fun!”

“H-Hey! Charmy!” Charmy completely ignored Vector as he flew off ahead of us. Clearly excited about going to a coal mine created by a deadly volcano.

Though, I gotta admit…it’s better than sitting in a castle all day.

 

***CHANGE OF POV***

Mio and I were still with Kaede and Kenjiro inside of this Shadouheizu Temple place listening to what they had to say about everything that’s happened. Like why are we here, how did they know who I was, and anything else that we need to know.

And it was a lot.

“I see…so you know about the existence of other worlds, as well.”

“As well?” Kaede asked.

“There are a few others that know about it.” Mio said. “Such as the Mythgrove Guild Commander Silvia and Princess Hanako.”

“Princess Hanako? She is aware, as well?”

“That is correct. She is even traveling with us to rescue her mother The Queen.”

“From that purple creature, correct? The one known as Ridley?” Kenjiro asked.

“That’s him.” I said. “Although, now we don’t know where he is. All we do know is that he’s somewhere in or around this kingdom.”

“I see. So describe to me what this Ridley creature is like.”

“Um…well, he’s a…violent creature. Isn’t afraid to murder people to get what he wants. Also really smart. Despite being a space dragon.”

“I see. Keep going.”

_Keep going? I don’t know much about him. He’s Samus’s nuisance, not mine._

“Well…the first time we found out he was here was during the Battle Royale. My friend and I fought him off and rescued Hanako. But then his second attack was quick. He kidnapped the Queen and flew off somewhere. Presumably here.”

“Now that think about it, we don’t know why he kidnapped the Queen in the first place.” Mio added.

“Yeah, you make a good point, Mio. Knowing how villains work, Ridley wouldn’t just kidnap a random person without any reason to it.”

_At least, based on my past experiences. Even though they were completely ridiculous, Bowser did had reasons for kidnapping me all the time._

“Yes. A good point, indeed.” Kenjiro said. “Kaede. Time for the next part of your training. Escort Princess Peach and Mio to that place I’ve told you about.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” Kaede said with a bow.

“Uh…that place?” I asked.

“It is a place underneath this very kingdom. Known as the Sheoru Mines. There is a secret path leading to it from this temple.”

“Please go with her.” Kenjiro said. “The answer to the kidnapping will be waiting for you there.”

“Th-The answer?”

“Are you saying that there is a reason for this?” Mio asked.

“I cannot explain it well right now. Only once you finish exploring the mines fully will I be able to tell all.”

“It…sounds reasonable. What do you think, Peach?”

“Well…it gets us closer to finding Ridley and the Queen. Alright, we’ll go. Lead the way, Princess Kaede.”

“Very well.” Kaede said. “And please. Just Kaede is sufficed enough. I like to separate the two titles giving to me.”

“I see.”

_Just like Hanako. I wonder…_

“Alright, now. Please follow me.”

“Right.” Mio and I said.

We then began following Kaede to where this secret entrance to the Sheoru Mines. The supposed place where we’ll get a whole bunch of answers to this rescue mission we’re on.

_But after that…will it still be a rescue mission?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say here. Just a small update. I know it’s been a while since the last one. I’m going to try to start updating more often. Otherwise, this story will take forever to get done.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	20. Volcanic Reunion

A couple of minutes, probably an hour, after learning about this Sheoru Mines place, Kaede took us down this old staircase and we were now in said place. A volcanic cave-like area with lavafalls pouring into lava lakes. We saw rail tracks on the ground that led deeper inside. So, there was the mines part of the place.

“Woah. So, this is…”

“Sheoru Mines.” Kaede answered me. “The aftermath of the eruption of the Sheoru Volcano. Which led to the creation of the Farshire Kingdom.”

“Huh? You mean this place created Farshire?”

“Yes. But many people back then believed it was the end of the world. After the eruption, however, it was discovered that it had created new land. Along with these mines. And so, thanks to my ancestors, the Farshire Kingdom was born.”

“I see…”

_Geez. Such a history. I don’t even think the Mushroom Kingdom has that big of a background. Let alone, any at all._

“ _W…Wow. Th-That sounds…i-interesting…_ ”

“Mio. Are you alright? You do not look too good.” Kaede said as we both looked at a very exhausted Mio.

“ _I-I’m fine. I-It is just…haaa…_ ” Mio then slumped over with her staff the only thing holding her up.

“Mio!” I grabbed her and placed her over my shoulder.

“Does she need medical attention?” Kaede asked.

“No. It’s just that Mio is an ice magic-user.”

“I see now. A person with ice magic down here is like a death sentence. We should return her to the temple.”

“ _N-No. R-Really…I am…o-okay._ ” Mio said as she raised herself up with her staff. “ _I just…I just need to not use my magic and I should be fine. Pl-Please, let us continue._ ”

“Mio…”

“ _Peach, it is fine. I…I really mean… ***pant*** it._”

I didn’t want to agree with it. She looks like she’s about to pass out from the heat. Come to think of it, it was Zelda and I that dragged her into this mess we’re in. Even though she didn’t seem to mind at all.

_This girl…she’s a strong one. I wish I was at least 10% of what she is back home._

“ ** _*sigh*_** Alright. But I don’t think you should be walking on your own. Just keep hanging on to me.”

“ _Haa…th-thank you…P-Peach. Y-You really are…a…a…a good friend._ ”

“I must agree. You seem like the perfect friend, Princess Peach.” Kaede said.

“Really? Uh…thanks, Kaede. And uh…just Peach is fine. I don’t carry that title anymore.”

“I see. Well, I shall keep that in memory.”

“Thanks.”

_It’s still hard to believe that **THIS** is the princess of Farshire. She looks nothing like one. Then again…the same could’ve been said about Hanako._

***BOOM***

“Wh-What was that?”

“Hmm…there seems to be someone else here. This is a problem.”

“How? Didn’t you and Kenjiro say that people come here to mine coal?”

“Yes. But that is only at the front of the mines. This deep in is unknown to everyone but grandfather and myself. which is why…”

“Right. I understand now. Are we going to check it out, then?”

“It is on the way to the location I need to take you. I hope you do not mind.”

“It’s fine. I get it. Hang on, Mio. We’re about to move.”

“ _R-Right…I-I am…holding on tight._ ” Mio still sounded weak. But at least the panting stopped.

“Alright. Please follow me. It should not take long at all.” We then followed Kaede deep within the volcanic mines. Now with two things to do as we explored this new area we’re in.

_Now that I think about it, the others are probably worried sick about us._

* * *

***CHANGE OF POV***

“ ** _*whine* It’s so hot!_** ”

“Will you three quit complaining already?! You’ve said that five times at this point!” Vector yelled at Charmy, Moon, and me.

“ _But, Vector! It’s so hot! There’s lava everywhere!_ ” Charmy whined.

“Yeah. We can see that, Charmy.” Viridi said.

“Hanako, what’s with all this lava?” I asked her. “I thought you said that this was a mine or something.”

“When Sheoru Volcano erupted and created the mines, the leftover lava was poured into it and surrounded the area. Resulting in it flowing through here indefinitely and forming lakes and lavafalls around.”

“ ** _Why didn’t you say that earlier?!_** ”

“Shut it, Charmy!” Vector yelled as he placed his hand over Charmy’s face.

“It must have slipped my mind at the time. I do apologize.”

“It’s fine, Hanako.” Viridi said. “A simple mistake is all it is.”

“Really? Well, then…thank you, Viridi.”

“You know, Viridi. You’ve been rather…more say a lot nicer since you’ve been here.” I said.

“Specifically towards Hanako.” Moon added.

“Yeah, so?”

“ _Hmm…_ ” Moon and I then stared at the Goddess of Nature with suspiciously smart-alec smirks on our faces. Causing her to blush a little.

“Wh-What are you two thinking?”

“ _Oh…_ nothing, Viridi.” I said.

“We’re **_definitely_** not thinking of something between you and Hanako. Not at all.” Moon added.

“ _Aipom._ ”

“I-I…Idiots! Sh-Shut up!” Viridi’s blushes had gotten deeper as she began to repeatedly hit us out of embarrassment.”

“Um…am I missing something?” Hanako asked. Not knowing what’s going on.

***BOOM***

“W-Woah! What was that?!” I yelled after we heard an explosion noise.”

“This feeling…we are not alone in these mines.” Espio said.

“We’re not?”

“I sense that a powerful adversary is nearby. Possibly even closer than we think.”

“An…adversary?” Hanako asked.

“Ooh! Is it a bad guy, Espio?! Cause if it is, I’m ready for them! I’ll sting them real good!” Charmy flew around in excitement. Clearly ready for a fight.

“What do ya think it is, Espio?” Vector asked.

“It feels like…someone like… ***POOF*** ” Espio then disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. All without a warning, either.

“Woah!” Moon and I said in amazement.

“That was…” Hanako said.

“One of Espio’s ninja powers.” Vector said to her. “Being good with that ninjutsu stuff, he has a lot of them. Very useful during our detective work.”

“I see. Seeing it in full action now seems…interesting.”

“Shooting Shadow.”

Espio then reappeared as he threw a group of shuriken stars in the air. They exploded within contact…but we had no idea what they came into contact with.

“Hmph.” He then disappeared again and reappeared even higher. Performing one single karate chop in the air.

Again, we had no idea what it made contact on. Who or whatever he’s fighting must be invisible or something.

“It’s over. Show yourself.” Espio said as he came back down.

“Hmm…I must admit. For a stranger such as yourself, you are indeed powerful.”

What appeared in front of us was…a girl, to be honest. She wore some kind of ninja outfit and had what looked like a katana in her hands.

_Was she…the powerful adversary Espio was talking about?_

“Oh. Princess Kaede.”

“Huh? Princess?” Moon, Viridi, and I asked Hanako.

“Princess Hanako. I did not expect you to be down here. A coincidence, indeed.”

“Wait. Hanako, do you know this girl?” I asked.

“Yes. She’s actually…”

“Hey, Kaede. Is it safe to come over yet?”

Just then, we heard a recognizable voice. And then came the two people we were looking for since...about two hours ago.

“Peach! Mio!”

“Guys? What are you doing here?” Peach asked.

“Looking for you two, obviously.” Viridi said. “We searched all over this kingdom looking for you. Even had help from these three.”

“Hehhehheh. Another case solved, boys.” Vector said.

“Yeah! Now, we can get paid!” Charmy cheered.

“Uh…why are Vector, Espio, and Charmy here?” Peach asked me.

“We don’t know. And neither do they. It’s kinda like Boo.”

“I see.”

“ _H-Hello…e-everyone…_ ”

“Woah, Mio. You don’t look so good.” Moon said as we noticed Mio leaning against Peach.

“It’s the heat.” Peach said. “It’s making her extremely weak due to her being an ice magic-user.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“ _I am…o-okay._ _I just…I just need to…not use my magic and I…I should be fine._ ”

“Well…if you say so. Just don’t push yourself, Mio.”

“ _Th-Thank you…M…M-Moon._ ”

_Man. Mio’s so tough. Pulling through this place despite making her feel this way. She’s stronger than she looks._

“Uh…hey, Hanako. Didn’t you say that this girl was a princess?” Viridi asked her.

“Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Everyone, this is Princess Kaede of the Farshire Kingdom.”

“Huh? Seriously?”

“No way…” Moon said.

“ **THIS** is the princess of Farshire?” I asked.

“I know, right? Even I’m having a hard time believing it.” Peach said.

“So, this is the group you are traveling with? I did not think it would be this big already.” Princess Kaede said. “But for now…it is a pleasure to meet you…Princess Zelda of Hyrule.”

“ **Huh?! W-Wait, what?!** ” I yelled in shock.

“Yeah…she knows about us.” Peach said. “How we came from a different world and how we’re chasing after Ridley.”

“Unbelievable…”

“Ridley? That thing’s here, too?” Vector asked.

“Yeah, he is. He kidnapped Hanako’s mother and we’re trying to find him. Although, we don’t know…”

***BOOM***

“G-Geez. Again?” Viridi asked as we all heard an explosion.

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

“Woah. That’s a lot of them.” Charmy said.

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

“Wait. That screech… **It’s Ridley!** ” I shouted.

“It came from this way.” Espio said.

“Down that way is… ** _*gasp*_** oh, no. This is truly bad.”

“Huh? What is?” I asked the princess of Farshire.

“Kaede. Is that thing you wanted to show us in that direction?” Peach asked her.

“Yes. It is. We must head there at once.”

“Wait, what thing? What are you two talking about?” I asked again.

“We’ll explain on the way. Just come on.”

“Yes. Let us go.” Princess Kaede then went on ahead. The rest of us soon followed as we were now rushing to were Ridley was. Hoping that we can put an end to this pursuit.

_Even if I don’t have a clue on what Peach is talking about._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The group of friends are together again. But now the main threat is nearby. Will they finally put an end to Ridley's wrath? And most importantly, find out why other people are coming to this world? Find out next chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	21. Confessed Secrets of a Dear Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Note: I have NOT played or watched either Mother 3 or Pokemon Sun/Moon. I know how they start. And I know how they end. THAT'S IT! Please do not get mad that the characters do not match the personalities in their respected games. This story is not canon to any game, in the first place. Enjoy!

“ _…And as we enter day 6 of this national crisis, there are still no leads to the disappearances of Princess Peach and Zelda, of the Mushroom and Hyrule Kingdoms respectfully. Anyone with information is required to inform the royal guards._ ”

“ ** _*sigh*_** They’re still making a big deal over this, huh?”

“ _ARF!_ ”

“I mean, I understand why…but they’re never going to find them, you know?”

“ _ARF!_ ”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Yeah. It’s still crazy that she did that. Never would’ve thought that they would actually go through with it.” I then went silent for a bit. “H-Hey, Boney. If I went with them…do you think I’ve would’ve been happier, too?”

“ _ARF?_ ”

“Yeah…the thoughts still come to mind. Even though I don’t show it as much as I used to, I’m still having trouble coping with it all. Mom being killed by that Drago. And then Claus, my twin brother and only friend…suffered a demise just as horrible as Mom’s. Only that one was my fault. If only I had stopped him…somehow convince him to not go out alone into the Drago Plateau. Maybe he would’ve at least been…”

I then felt tears run down my face as the dark memories of my childhood flooded my mind again. Even though I became good at hiding my sadness from others, I sometimes just break down and release the pent up emotions from inside me.

Sadness, anger, regret…they fuel my mind like the gasoline in a car. I just can’t seem to completely get rid of these feelings. No matter how hard I try.

It’s all just an endless cycle of emotional rage.

“ _ARF! ARF!_ ”

“Huh?”

“ _ARF! ARF! ARF ARF ARF!_ ”

…

…

“ ** _*sigh*_** You’re right, Boney.” I said to my dog. “You know…for a dog, you sure know how to make me feel better.”

“ _ARF!_ ”

“Yeah, I guess. Someone now has to since Peach left for that other world. Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

“ _ARF!_ ”

As the two of us continued our walk, my thoughts drifted from my horrid past to my current life. And how I would often talk about the former with a special friend.

One who, as I never thought until she told me, was having similar emotions as me.

_Come to think of it, I wonder how Peach is doing in that other world? I just hope she’s happy._

* * *

Boney and I continued walking around the village. Continuing to see news reports of Peach and Zelda’s disappearances.

“Gee. They really are making this a big deal. Even people from other worlds are panicking about it.”

“ _ARF!_ ”

“It makes me wonder why they didn’t panic this much the two of them would get kidnapped at the time. Probably because they always had Mario and Link to go after them. **_*sigh*_** These people had no idea how easy they had it until it was too late.”

_A lot like me…_

“ _ARF! ARF!_ ”

“What is it, Boney?” I asked.

“ ** _*growl*_** _ARF! ARF ARF!_ ”

“What? What are you barking at?”

“ _ARF!_ ”

I then looked at where Boney was looking at to see something rather odd. Well…I’ve seen odder things. But this was still odd in itself.

“Huh? A flying…tiny screen?”

“ ** _*growl*_** ” Boney continued to growl at the screen as it flew down in front of us. I didn’t know if I should mess with it or just run away from it. But then it turned on by itself. With static appearing on the screen.

I didn’t know what I was thinking, but I inched closer to the thing. Bringing my face closer to the static screen without any hesitation or caution.

“What the heck is this thing? Why is it here?” I asked as I reached my hand to touch it.

But then, when I least expected it…

“ _Hey, Lucas!_ ”

“ **Gah!** ” I shouted as I stepped back from the screen. Only then, I recognized who it was on there. “Pr-Professor E. Gadd?”

“ _Hahahahaha. Glad to see you still remember me, young man._ ”

“Right…” I said as I got up from the ground. “So, what’s with this flying screen?”

“ _You like? It’s my latest invention…the Boo U. It can let people communicate on this small screen or even on a bigger screen like a television. A 2-in-1 device, I must say._ ”

_Why does that sound familiar?_

“I see. It’s a pretty cool uh…screen, Professor.”

“ _Well, if that tickles your fancy, then I got tons more inventions yet to be…_ ”

“ _Uh…Professor. We’re kinda going off-topic here._ ”

“ _Oh, right. My apologies._ ”

“Who was that in the background?” I asked.

“ _Anyhoo. We have a few questions to ask you, Lucas. So, I’ll beam you over to my lab. Hold on!_ ”

“W-Wait, what?! Beam me over?! Wh-What are you?!”

“ _Hahahahaha! Prepare yourself, Lucas! You’re about to travel cyberspace!_ ”

“ **D-Don’t ignore my questions! H-Hey! Hey!** ”

Before I could protest any more of it, I was slowly sucked into the tiny flying screen. Split into tiny gigabytes as my body froze up because of it. Being transported to a different world against my own will.

_What am I being dragged into?_

* * *

“ ** _WAAAAAAH!_** ”

***THUD***

“ _Ow. My…everything, for that matter._ ”

“Welcome, Lucas. I hope you had a good trip.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t call being transported by pieces through the world of cyberspace a good trip, Professor.” I said to him.

“Oh, come on. I make Luigi do it all the time, so it’s fine. Hahahahaha!”

_Poor Luigi…_

“Hello, Lucas.”

“Huh? Lillie? You’re here, too?” I asked the Pokémon assistant.”

“This may sound sudden, but…it was actually me that requested you here.”

“Okay…this is getting weird. What’s going on?”

“Glad you asked, Lucas.” The Professor said. “All of this ties into the disappearances of the two princesses. In some way.”

“Huh? How?”

“Well, you see…” Lillie spoke. “…around the time Princess Peach and Princess Zelda disappeared, Mizuki went missing as well.”

“Huh? You mean Moon?” I thought about it. “Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen her around much either. Isn’t she on another adventure or something?”

“Well…yes. She actually told me about this “Battle Royale” in this “other world” she’s heard about. She left for it and hasn’t come back.”

“Well, if you know where she is, why are you worried about her?”

“This was a week ago, Lucas.” Lillie gained an agitated look.

“O-Oh. I see…” I gained a sweatdrop.

“And so…” The Professor continued. “Once Lillie brought this to my attention, I got really curious. So to speak. So I did a little digging into the days before Peach disappeared…and found out that the last two people she was with before she went missing were Zelda, to be expected. And also… **you** , my dear Lucas!”

“Tch!” I felt my body twitch a little.

_Th-They don’t think…_

“O-Oh, really now? W-Well…what does that mean, exactly?”

“It means…that you must have a good idea on where these two ladies, correct?”

“H-Huh?”

“And if we find them, then we’ll find Mizuki as well.” Lillie added.

“Wh-What?”

“So, come on, boy. Out with it. Where did they run off to?”

“H-Hold on a second! What makes you think I know where they are?!”

“Well, you are friends with Peach, correct?”

“W-Well…yeah, we’re good friends. But that still doesn’t mean…”

“Please, Lucas.” Lillie pleaded while grabbing both of my hands. “If we can find the princesses, then we can find Mizuki, too. I miss my best friend and I just want to see that she’s safe. Don’t you feel the same way about Princess Peach?”

“ _Come to think of it, I wonder how Peach is doing in that other world? I just hope she’s happy._ ”

…

“Well…yeah, I do.” I said. Remembering that thought I made earlier.

“Then please. If you know anything, please tell us. It would **_*sniff*_** _mean the world to me._ ”

“Lillie…” It was basically all I could say to her crying face. I can understand that she misses her best friend. And I really do miss Peach.

But…

* * *

***ONE WEEK AGO…***

“Huh? You’re going to a different world?”

“That’s what Zelda told me.” Peach said to me as we were sitting together one day. “Although, I have no clue what this “other world” she’s talking about. And I’m pretty sure she doesn’t, either.”

“I see.” I went silent for a second. “So…what made you…finally decide on doing this?”

“Lucas, you that this was always a dream of mine. Wanting to escape all of this royalty stuff and live like a normal girl…or woman. I’m **_really_** not sure how old I am.”

“Right. But this just seems a bit…crazy. Especially since it was Zelda’s idea.”

“It is a crazy idea. But it’s basically my one and only chance. Now or never. If I don’t do this, I’m going to regret it forever. You know how I feel, right?”

“All too well, Peach. All too well.”

“So…that’s it. Even though I have no idea what this new world would lead me to, I feel like it’ll be 10x better than “being a pretty princess” all the time.”

“Yeah. I get it.” I then went silent again. “Well…wherever you go and whatever happens…I hope it makes you happier, Peach.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Thanks, Lucas. I’m really going to miss you.”

“Same here.”

We gave each other a big goodbye hug before separating for good this time. But before that happened…

“Oh. And, Lucas. This may be tough…but can you not tell anyone about this? We want to keep this a secret for a long as we can.”

“Sure, Peach. Your secrets safe with me.”

* * *

***PRESENT TIME***

“ _Sure, Peach. Your secrets safe with me._ ”

_That’s what I said. But with these two interrogating me like this out of nowhere…_

_…_

_…_

_Sorry, Peach. I really am._

“ ** _*sigh*_** Alright. I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you guys.”

“Oh, thank you, Lucas! You really are a kind boy!” Lillie cheered.

“This may be the discovery of a lifetime! Come now, Lucas! Out with the details!” The Professor said.

“ ** _*sigh*_** You guys…well, it started with…”

And so, I told them both what led the two princesses to run away in the first place. How they grew tired of their current lives and wanted to live like normal girls. And ow they believed going to this “other world” was the way to do it.

“Wow. So, they were feeling that way this whole time? I had no idea.”

“I agree, Lillie. This is a first for me, as well.” The Professor added.

“Well, they didn’t tell a whole lot of people. I was probably one of the few, if not the only one, that knew about it.”

“I see. And so, what exactly is this “other world” that they went to?”

“Thing is…I have no clue. Not even Peach knew when she told me this. It was all Zelda’s idea.”

“I see. So, we’ve reached a dead end.”

“If you guys want to know where they are, then I can **totally** take you!”

“ **Gah!** ” We all screamed when someone appeared out of the blue.

“Wait…Phosphora?”

“Heya, Lucas. Looking cute as always.”

_I’m not gonna retort to that. It’ll just make it worse._

“So, do you really know where they are?” Lillie asked.

“Yep. In fact, I was just there with them. Peach, Zelda, Mistress Viridi, and even Moon for some reason.”

“ **Wh-What?! M-Mizuki’s there, too?!** ”

“Pretty much. It was weird that she showed up all of a sudden. Then she showed us a Phantom Ruby that she had with her.”

“Of course…” Lillie gained a sweatdrop.

“Why does Moon have a Phantom Ruby?” E. Gadd and I asked.

“It’s a long story…”

_The tone in her voice tells me that I don’t want to know…_

“Well…even if you say that, Phosphora. I made this promise to Peach that I wouldn’t tell anyone…”

“Oh, she’s totally aware.”

“Huh?” I was confused.

“When Moon showed up, she told them that people here have realized that they’re gone. You guys showing up wouldn’t be a big deal at all.”

“So, you’ll really take us to this other world?” Lillie asked.

“Sure! I was getting bored back home and was gonna go back anyways. Then I heard you guys talking about it and I figured why not?”

“Y-You mean you were spying on us?!”

“Telepathy. Duh. Every mythical person has it.”

“I feel violated…”

“Knowing Phosphora, that’s kinda normal.” I said.

“ _Aw, Lucas. Why you gotta be so mean?_ ”

_Again. Not gonna retort that._

“Look, can we just go already?”

“You mean you’re going?” E. Gadd asked me.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Why not? I’m kinda curious on wha this other world is.”

“Well, then in that case…” E. Gadd did some typing on his computer and then seconds later, this weird white wristband materialized onto my right arm. And then a pink one materialized onto Lillie’s right arm. “Here. Take these Telebands with you.”

“Telebands?” We asked.

“They’re an invention that I have in testing phase at the moment. With these, I can gather information about this strange other world. And make some good research out of it. Hahahahaha!”

“When did I become your test puppet?” I asked. “Isn’t this something for Luigi to do?”

“I would ask him…but he is currently rounding up my lost ghost collection again. This time, they ran off to a haunted hotel. I just hope the boy doesn’t get too scared this time around. Hahahahaha!”

“Gee. Poor Luigi…” Lillie and I said with a sweatdrop.

“Anyhoo. Try to get as much data as possible. The more the merrier, I always say.”

“It shouldn’t be that bad, Lucas. Let’s just do it.” Lillie said.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Fine, I guess.”

“Hey, are we done yet? I’m getting bored again.” Phosphora said.

“Alright, alright. We’re ready.”

“Then I shall go with you as well.”

“Huh? Who just…”

Just then, a dark blue cyclone appeared and shortly revealed the owner of that voice.

“Meta Knight?” We all asked.

“This may seem sudden, but I must come with you all to this other world.”

“You must? How come?” I asked.

“This other world…it is in great danger. As well as its inhabitants.”

“D-Danger? I-Is everyone alright?” Lillie asked in a panicked voice.

“For now, yes. But not for long.”

“Oh, yeah.” Phosphora said. “I forgot about Ridley.”

“ **R-Ridley?!** ” Lillie and I yelled in shock.

“He’s there as well?” E. Gadd asked.

“Yeah. The guy just showed up out of nowhere and started attacking the place. When Mistress Viridi and I left, they were figuring out where he flew off to. My guess is that they’re chasing after him right about now.”

“ **Why are you so nonchalant about this?!** ” I yelled.

“Hmm…so it’s not too late. We still have time.” Meta Knight said.

“Huh? Still have time?”

“What are you saying, Meta Knight?” Lillie asked.

“Long story short…we must make it there **_before_** they take down Ridley.”

“Huh? Before?” We were all confused.

“Because…there is a threat **tremendously worse** than Ridley.”

 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucas, Lillie, and Phosphora were just about to go to the same world as Peach and Zelda. When they were stopped by Meta Knight, telling them about Ridley…
> 
> …and the threat worse than him.
> 
> So, here’s the thing. The next chapter will be the final chapter. After that, the story will continue under a new name and a new plot. With even MORE characters added into the mix.
> 
> This decision was made because doing this new plot under this current name wouldn’t fit in my eyes. Plus, I’m used to writing Rated T stories and this was the first story with the lowest rating that I’ve written in a while. I feel like it would be better if I wrote it how I normally write.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	22. The End of Everything

“Alright, ladies. Good work today. You all can leave for the day.”

“Yes, Chief.”

…

…

“ ** _*sigh*_** Man, what a day. The mass-hysteria from that Ridley thing calmed down a little. But it’s still running wild around here.”

I sat down in a nearby chair and took a breather. Looking at the communicator I had which connects to that Game Boy thing those girls were talking about.

“Huh. You know, it’s been a while since I contacted those girls. I should probably check in on them. Especially since Zelda and Peach are with the princess and all.”

“Oh? So, you know Peach?”

“Huh? Who said that?”

“I did.” Said a weird-looking white ball as it appeared right in front of me.

“What the? A ghost with a tongue?”

“I’m Boo. Nice to Boo you. I know Peach all Boo well. Heehee!”

“Really now? So, you’re from the same world as her?”

“Heehee! Yep. I was Boo-ly shocked to see her here. But in the end, I’m just glad that I can annoy her once more. Heehee!”

“I see…” I said with a sweatdrop.

“So. You know Peach, right? What’s your label?”

_My…label?_

“Uh…I’m Silvia. Chief of the guild here in Mythgrove. Why are you here again?”

“I got bored in that forest up ahead and wanted to annoy Peach some more. Boo know where she is, _right_?” Boo asked as he spun his body around in a clockwise circle.

“Yeah…I do. But you really shouldn’t annoy her because you’re bored. She’s busy doing something, you know.”

“Going after Ridley, right? Well, I can just tag along then. Heehee!”

_He’s so not getting the point…_

“L-Listen, you…”

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

_Aw, geez. Did one of the girls forget to switch the sign? We’re closed right now._

“Look, I’ll deal with you in a sec.” I said as I got up from the chair. “I gotta tell these visitors that this guild is closed.”

“ _Boo!_ More people to annoy! This is Bootiful! Eeeheeheehee!”

“How does Peach put up with you?” I asked with a sweatdrop.

* * *

I went out front to see who it was that came in here so late. Turns out it wasn’t one person, but two. A boy and a girl. Both blonde. But the girl is somewhat taller than the boy.

And most importantly…they do not look like they’re from this world at all.

_Just what is going on with these other-worlders lately?_

“Sorry, you guys. We’re closed.” I said to the duo.

“Hold on, girlfriend. We just need to ask you something.”

“Huh? Phosphora? You came back?” I asked the third person that just appeared out of nowhere.

“You mean you already know people here?” The boy asked.

“Of course. We met each other when I got Mistress Viridi and I stuck here from me using up her magic. We’re total friends.”

“You know I would question that first part you said…but we don’t have time for that.”

“Don’t have time?” I asked.

“Ah. So sorry for intruding, ma’am.” The girl said. “But we were hoping we could get some help finding some friends of ours. Do you happen to know two princesses named Peach and Zelda?”

“Peach and Zelda?”

_Okay, now I know that they’re from the same world…_

“Yeah, I know where they are.”

“Heehee! So, you Boo know? When were you going to Boo me? Heehee!” Boo then said from behind me.

“Hey, I told you to wait in the back.”

“Boo? Why are you here?” The trio asked.

“Heehee! Lucas, Lily, and Phosphora. I could **_easily_** ask you the same thing. Heehee!”

“Okay, seriously! What is going on?!” I asked while getting irritated.

***FLASH***

***FLASH***

***FLASH***

“Wh-Whoa! Wh-What was that?!”

“Oh, no! It’s already starting!” The girl yelled.

“Wh-What is?”

“Everyone.” And then a fourth person showed up. This time, a rather short masked person wrapped around in a cape. He looks more like a knight than anything else. “We are wasting time by chatting. We must find the others and fast.”

***FLASH***

***FLASH***

***FLASH***

***FLASH***

***FLASH***

…

…

***FLASH***

“ _Boo._ These flashes are getting weird.” Boo said.

“Ma’am, if you please.” The knight said to me. “If you tell us where Peach and Zelda are, we will explain what is happening to this world.”

“H-Happening…t-to this world?” Now I was getting concerned. More people from that other world and these weird flashes coming out of nowhere…

_Peach…Zelda…what did you two bring to this world?_

* * *

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***CRASH***

“We’re getting closer. He’s just up ahead.” Espio said as we were running through the narrow cave to where Ridley was causing havoc.

“I do hope Mother is okay…”

“Don’t worry, Hanako.” Zelda said to her. “We’ll get the Queen back unscathed. I promise.”

“Th-Thank you…Zelda.”

“Yeah…” I said. “Once we defeat Ridley, this will all be done and…”

“ **PEACH! LOOK OUT!** ”

“Huh? **GAH!** ”

***BOOM***

…

…

…

“ _Wh-What the…_ ” I said as I had barely gotten out of the way of something coming at me from up above.

“H-Hey, guys…” Moon said. “I-Isn’t that…”

We looked on as the smoke began to clear up. And what we saw was…

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

“ **Tch! Dry Bowser!** ” I yelled. Mostly angry from him attacking me out of nowhere.

“Man. So Boo wasn’t lying when he said that he saw Dry Bowser around here.” Viridi said.

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

_So, he wants to fight, huh? I’ve never fought this guy before, but I’m not going to run away!_

Dry Bowser began spitting fire at us which led to multiple blue fireballs heading my way.

“ **PK Freeze!** ” I blasted a PSI-based snowflake from my hand to block the fireballs.

“ **PK Thunder!** ” Then fired an eletroball at the skeleton doppelganger. Somehow making him fall down instantly.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Gotcha.”

“Woah, Peach! That was awesome!” Moon and Charmy cheered.

“Aipom!”

“Since when did you learn PSI?!” Vector asked me.

“From Lucas. We hang out a lot.”

“Interesting.” Espio said.

“ _Grr…_ to think I would lose to you of all people so easily…you really do have some nerve being here, Peach.”

…

…

…

“Wait… **what?!** ” I yelled as we all looked at Dry Bowser.

“ **Y-You can talk?!** ” Zelda asked.

“ **Of course, I can talk! Bowser can talk, can’t he?!** ”

“ **Yeah, but Bowser’s alive! You’re basically dead!** ” Viridi yelled.

“ _Ugh!_ Whatever!” Dry Bowser calmed down a little. “Why are you all even here, anyway?”

“We should be asking **YOU** that.” I said. “And how did you get here, also?”

“Look, I have my reasons for being here. Unlike you.”

“Hey, we have a reason!” Zelda yelled. “We’re trying to stop Ridley from causing havoc in this world!”

“A-And to rescue my mother.” Hanako said softly.

“So, that’s it…” Dry Bowser went silent for a bit. “Look, I highly suggest you stay away from Ridley. There’s no stopping what he’s trying to do.”

“Huh? What he’s trying to do?” Moon asked.

“What is he trying to do?” Viridi asked. “And why can’t we stop him? Are you a part of it or something?”

“No, what I’m saying is…”

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***CRASH***

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

“ **Ridley!** ”

“Alright! Let me at him! I can take him on!”

“Shut it, Charmy!” Vector yelled while grabbing onto the energetic bee.

“Th-That thing in its hand…that is…”

“Kaede!”

“Gr-Grandfather?!”

“ _No…it is too late…_ **Everyone! We must flee immediately!** ”

“H-Huh?! B-But why?!”

“ ** _*giggle*_** _Yes. It’s mine. It’s finally mine!_ ”

We all then looked back at Ridley. Next to him was a girl with green hair hiding what looked like horns coming from her head. She had green markings all over her body and a creepy-looking symbol on her somewhat exposed stomach.

Her clothes looked ragged. Like she was attacked by something. Her light-green t-shirt was all torn up. To the point where part of her undershirt was showing. Her black jeans were made into jeans shorts due to the bottom half being ripped off. And her sneakers were completely destroyed as well.

“Wh-What the…”

“Wh-Who is **THAT**?” Zelda and I asked.

“ ** _*giggle*_** _Nice work, Ridley. I knew it was a good idea to let you in on this._ ” The girl said as she took this creepy red crystal from him. “ _One down. Now to find the other seven. And soon…Armageddon will rain upon this pathetic world. And every universe known to all mortal kind! Hahahaha!_ ”

“A-A…Armageddon?” Moon asked.

“M…Mortal kind?” Hanako asked.

“ **Wh-Who are you?! Wh-What do you want with that thing?!** ” Zelda yelled.

“ _Hm? Oh. So, you crappy princesses made it this far, huh? That’s a shock. Considering that you couldn’t fight off a damn thing even if it killed ya. ***giggle***_ ”

“ _Wh-What did you say?_ ” Zelda and I got angry.

“ _Anyway…enough talk. **Time to kill you all!**_ ”

“ **WH-WHAT?!** ”

“ ** _*giggle*_** _I am thou, thou art I…_

_Hear me, sweet gem. As I cry._

_I force upon you…my greatest desire…_

_To put all mortals in a sea of fire._

_Crystal of Chaos, listen to me…_

_Give me your power…so mote it be!_ ”

The crystal then began to float from the girl’s hand as it started glowing a red hue. A really dark one. Almost like…it’s about to do something bad.

“ **E-Everyone!** ” Kenjiro yelled in a huge panic. “ **W-We must…** ”

“ ** _UNLEASH!!!_** ”

***CRACK***

The crystal had shattered inside of the girl’s hand. A great amount of power broke free from it all. Flashes of a dark red light flickered around us. And we had no idea what was going on.

“ _Wh-What’s…h-happening…?_ ” I barely spoke. I felt my entire body getting weaker and weaker. Like it was fading from existence.

“ _N-No…w-we were…t-too late…_ ” Kenjiro said.

“ _Th-This was…y-your fault for the delay…P-Peach._ ” Dry Bowser added.

“ _P-Peachy…I-I can’t…br-breathe…_ ”

“ _Z-Zelda…e-everyone…_ ”

“ ** _Nyahahahaha! So long, former princesses! I’ll see you all in Hell!_** ” This was the last sentence I heard…

…

…b-before…p-passing out…

_S-So…w-weak…_

* * *

“Oh, dear. I didn’t see this coming at all.”

“ **L-Lady Palutena! E-Everyone is…** ”

“Calm down, Pit. I can fix this…f-for now.”

“Wh-What do you mean “for now”?!”

“So, it looks like we’ll be going with your back-up plan after all, Meta Knight.”

“As if I wanted to. But it looks like we don’t have a choice.”

“Uh…back-up plan? What back-up plan?”

“Well, you see, Pit…a little while after I sent Peach and Zelda to that world, Meta Knight here informed me of an other-worldly threat coming to destroy it.”

“Other-worldly threat?”

“Apparently…there are a set of 8 crystals scattered throughout multiple different worlds that contain ultimate power. Just one is enough to destroy an entire world.”

“ **A-An entire WORLD?!** ”

“And collecting all eight with grant you enough power to destroy the entire universe.”

“ **Th-The entire UNIVERSE?! Wh-Who wants to destroy the entire universe?!** ”

“An evil and sadistic little girl.” Meta Knight said. “Known as Ridel Honnari.”

“Ridel Honnari? Never heard of her.”

“I believe you’ve dealt with her in the past correct, Meta Knight?” Palutena asked.

“Correct. Ridel is a clone created based on the DNA of a girl I know personally. She was a huge help in rescuing Dream Land and her own world from destruction.”

“Whoa…” Pit said in shock. “So, this girl can defeat this Ridel person then?”

“It is possible. But she has no idea what’s happening. And with that crystal in her possession, Ridel will surely go after her again. Therefore, I must get to this girl before Ridel does and inform her of this crisis.”

“I see…b-but what about Peach, Zelda, even Viridi is…”

“That is where my back-up plan comes in.”

“Huh?”

“We actually found another world to send them to.” Palutena said. “It was really obscure. Even someone like me missed it completely.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yep. And they’re all being transported there as we speak.”

“Even the extras?”

“Even the extras.”

“Wow. It looks like you two planned ahead of all of this.”

“It wasn’t easy. But we managed.”

“So…what is this obscured world, anyway?”

“ _Well…_ ”

* * *

“ ** _*moan* *groan*_** _Wh-What…Wh-What happen?_ ”

“ _Z-Zelda? Y-You’re awake?_ ”

“ _P-Peach?_ **_*gasp*_ Peachy! I’m so glad you’re alive!**” I cheered as I hugged my best friend out of pure grief.

“Same here, Zelda. Though…what we experienced…what was that?”

…

…

“I-I…I-I don’t know. It was all so sudden, too. Hey, guys. What did you think…guys?”

We looked around us and saw that we were the only ones around. No Mio, no Viridi, no Moon, no Hanako…Team Chaotix and Dry Bowser were gone, too. Along with Princess Kaede and that old man.

_Didn’t she say that he was her grandfather?_

“H-Hey. Wh-Where did everyone go?”

“I-I’m not sure.” Peach said. “Even Ridley and that girl are gone, too.”

We then noticed the rainbow-colored sky above us and the rainbow-like aura surrounding us both. There were even rainbows arching downward.

To where? It looked endless.

“Come to think of it…this isn’t Farshire at all. Not even close.”

“And it’s nothing like Mythgrove, either.” I added.

We both went silent for a bit. Realizing what the answer to this could be.

“H-Hey, you don’t think…” I said to Peach.

“I-It can’t be…r-right?”

After both going silent again, we decided to look over the small cliff we were on. Slowly walking closer to the edge.

And what we saw was…un-freaking-believable.

“I-Is that that…a-a planet?” Peach asked.

We stared at the light-blue planet. Its landmasses were in the shape of stars. And the rainbows we saw earlier were all connected to this thing. Not to mention that it was super bright, too.

“P-Peach…wh-where are we?”

“Z-Zelda, I think…i-it’s an entirely new universe…”

 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A final confrontation with Ridley leads to…the end of the world. But, thanks to some early planning, Peach, Zelda and possibly the others end up in…a new universe?
> 
> This is the end of the story. Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger (sort of). But like I said before, the two princesses will return in a new story under a new name. With new characters (from new video game series and even original characters) and a new world to explore. All to stop a mysteriously new threat.
> 
> The story continues in…Peach & Zelda: Rainbow Chaos (NAME NOT FINAL)
> 
> Thanks again for reading. Later.


	23. The New Universe

“ **W-Woah, woah, woah! Wh-What do you mean an entirely a new universe?!** ”

“It’s like I said, Zelda.” Peach said to me. “This is an entirely new universe. It’s not the world where Mythgrove and Farshire reside in. And it’s definitely not either the Mushroom Kingdom or Hyrule. This is definitely someplace new.” 

“Someplace new…” I continued to look at the rainbow-colored sky above us. The rainbows were pretty and all…but they didn’t exactly make me feel better about this.

“Man. Can you believe it, Peachy? We just wanted to escape our boring royal lives and we ended up traveling through two different universes. Kinda extreme, don’t ya think?”

“I can see how you think that, Zelda. And with what we’re dealing with right now, our lives are anything but boring at this point.”

Hearing Peach say that made me think of what happened before. Back at the Sheoru Mines with Ridley and…that girl.

“Hey, Peach. What exactly… **are** we dealing with?”

Peach didn’t answer right away. She stayed silent for a while as she thought to herself. And then, without even looking at me, she said:

“Whatever it is, Zelda…it’s something that neither Mario or Link has **EVER** dealt with before.”

“ _Woah…_ ”

_Things just got super intense out of nowhere._

“W-Well…whatever is happening, I don’t feel right without everyone else with us. Let’s try and find them.”

“But how are we going to get off this cliff?” Peach asked.

Looking up at the sky again, I noticed that one of the rainbows went down to one of the landmasses on the light-blue planet. The stretch was pretty long. And the rainbow itself, like how rainbows tend to be, looked really slippery.

This gave me an idea.

“Peachy, I hope you put your castle secret slide to good use over the years. Cause now you’ll need it more than ever.”

“W-Wait, you mean we’re **SLIDING** down? How do we know if that’s even safe to do?”

“Well, this particular rainbow is heading down one of the landmasses. Going there would be a nice start to figuring out just where we are and what’s going on.”

“That’s true, but… ** _*sigh*_** Fine. Let’s go.”

“That a girl, Peachy.” I cheered. “And besides. Maybe we’ll get a Power Star if we get there in under 21 seconds.”

“Oh, that is just hilarious, Zelda.” Peach said to me with an annoyed look.

“Anyway. On 3, we jump on. Ready?”

“Ready.”

“3…”

“2…”

“1…”

“ **JUMP!** ”

On the signal, we both jumped onto the rainbow and slid down tremendously fast. We were sliding down on our feet straight down to the landmass below at speeds that could possibly be compared to Sonic’s.

“ **Wah! This is crazy!** ” Peach yelled.

“ **I know, right?! This must how it feels to drive on Rainbow Road for 8 games, huh?!** ”

“ **Stop with the references!** ”

We soon reached the landmass below. And it was a pretty hard fall for the both of us. Luckily, we both survived.

“ _Ow._ Man, that was hard.”

“Yeah, it was.” I said. “But at least we’re okay.”

“I guess.”

* * *

After recovering for a bit, we both decided to explore the landmass we landed on. The rainbow sky was even more rainbow-y (if that’s even a thing) and the grass we were walking on was a lighter shade of green than most grass tend to be.

“This new world is rather pretty, don’t ya think?” I asked.

“Yeah, it is. The rainbow sky really makes the setting. Not to mention the multiple rainbows everywhere. This truly is a new world.”

“A new world…I really hope that everyone is okay. Wherever they are.”

“What do you mean? They all have to be here, right?”

“No offense, Peachy. But what are the chances that **_everyone_** made it to this specific new universe? It seems rather unlikely.”

“Since when were you this doubtful?” Peach looked at me with a pretty upset look.

“I’m just saying. Since we’re in a different universe, what are truly the chances…that we’ll see everyone else again? It just seems unlikely.”

“Zelda…”

“P-Peach? Z-Zelda? I-Is it really you?”

Then, out of the corner of my eye, something happened that proved me wrong in an instant. As we had unexpectedly ran into and found…

“ **Mio!** ”

“ **Peach! Zelda!** ”

The two of us rushed over and hugged the Ice Magic-User as tight as we could. So, entirely happy to see her again. Alive, too.

“ **Oh, my God! Mio! You’re alive!** ” I cheered.

“We’re so glad you’re safe.” Peach added.

“The same can be said about you two. I was tremendously worried when I woke up in this strange area. I do not even know how long I was walking along this path. But I am glad I found at least two of my dear friends.”

“ ** _*giggle*_** Same here, Mio.” I said with a smile.

“Look who’s changed their mind now…” Peach teased.

“Sh-Shut up!”

“By the way, Mio. You look better now than you did before. Did you regain your strength?”

“Oh, yes. Not being in the Sheoru Mines anymore has restored my power back to normal. I should be able to use my ice magic once more.”

“That’s great, Mio!” I cheered.

_Now that I think about it, I don’t think we’ve ever seen Mio use her ice magic. Not since we first met her in Mythgrove, that is._

“By the way…where exactly are we?”

…

…

“We…actually don’t know, Mio.” I said. “We’re just as clueless as you are.”

“Really?”

“We just woke up here ourselves.” Peach said. “We ended up high on a cliff and had to slide down a rainbow in order to get down.”

“Slide down a rainbow? Wow. I did not think these rainbows worked like that.”

“Well, we’ve had experience. Well, Peach did.”

“Seriously. Stop bringing that up.” Peach said to me with another annoyed look.

“A place filled with rainbows…do you girls think this is the afterlife?”

“A-Afterlife?!” Both of us yelled in a panic after hearing such a claim.

“M-Mio. D-Don’t…”

***BEEPING NOISE***

“Huh? Wait, that noise…” I then looked in my back pocket for another shock. “ **Holy crap! I still have the Game Boy!** ”

“Seriously?” Both girls asked.

“I forgot I still had this thing. Did it really survive that mess we went through?” I pressed one of the buttons on the device and it started making more noises. It sounded completely normal. So maybe this thing did survive.

_This thing really is tough as nails…_

**_*Unknown location detected. Now showing route.*_ **

“Unknown…location?”

“There’s civilization in this world?” Peach asked.

“Should we go and find it?” Mio asked.

“I think that’s our best choice. We might find out where exactly we are and possibly find everyone else.”

“Alright then!” I cheered. “Let’s go, girls!” I then ran in the direction the Game Boy was directing us to go.

“Z-Zelda! Wait! Don’t run off in a different world!” Peach yelled.

“H-Hey! W-Wait for me!” Mio yelled soon after.

* * *

Being guided by the Game Boy, it led us to this “unknown location” it mentioned before. And it was right about the “unknown” part. This place was nothing like I’ve ever seen before.

For one…compared to the villages we’ve been to in Hyrule, Mushroom, Mythgrove, and Farshire Kingdoms, this place was more like a city than anything else. Everything here looked so…advanced.

“Woah…what exactly is this place?” I asked.

“Everything here is so…futuristic.” Mio said.

“Not to mention the tons of water and grass all over. This has to be the most beautiful place yet.” Peach added.

“Is this truly a different universe?” Mio asked me.

“Well, I’m not seeing either Mythgrove or Farshire on the Game Boy. In fact, it doesn’t even have the name of this place. Just a bunch of question marks.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** So, we’re lost in a new world. Again.” Peach said. “Just our luck, huh?”

“Come on, Peachy. Let’s just ask around and see if we can figure out what this place is.”

“How are we going to ask? We’re three strangers who definitely don’t live here. It’s not like someone’s going to just appear in front of us and help us out.”

“Howdy!”

“ **Gah!** ” We were then suddenly approached by a lilac-haired girl with bangs and white hair-clips in the shape of D-pads. And she wore a short-sleeved mini hoodie with blue and purple lining around the sleeves and the hood. Closed by a button emblem with a large N in the middle and had two strings that kinda look like controller plugs. Underneath that was a dark purple dress lined with light purple which zips up from the front and has pockets on both sides. She wore light blue and white striped thigh high socks with frills at the tops and her shoes are purple and blue with an N on them.

_Whatever that is, I **SO** want it!_

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. _Kinda_ rushed in without thinking again.”

“ _Again? Much like you, Zelda._ ”

“ _Shut up, Peachy._ ” I grew insulted.

“Geez. There you are, Sis.” Then coming up to us was another girl who I’m believing is this girl’s sister. She had long hair the same color as the first one and only had one of those white D-pad hair-clips in her hair. And she wore a button-up sailor uniform with purple designs and a yellow ribbon.

_Eh. Not as cool as the other girl’s. But still nice._

“Oh, hello. Are these the girls Histoire sent us to escort?”

“They have to be.” The first girl said. “They sure look foreign .”

“foreign?” The three of us asked.

“Um…are we supposed to know you two?” Mio asked.

“Oh, right. Well, I’m Neptune. And this is my little sister, Nepgear.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” The girl now known as Nepgear said with a bow.

“The same to you.” I said. “I’m Zelda. And these are my friends Peach and Mio.”

“Nice to meet you.” Peach and Mio added.

“Zelda? Peach? Hey, Nep Jr. Don’t those names sound familiar to you?” Neptune asked her sister.

“Well, Histoire never told us the names of the girl we’re supposed to escort. Maybe these three are…”

***BOOM***

“ **Woah! What was that?!** ” I yelled after we all heard that explosion.

***BEEPING NOISE***

“Oh. The N-Gear’s ringing.” Nepgear said as she messed with this weird gadget on her arm. “Hello?”

“ _N-Nep-Nep! G-Ge-Ge!_ ”

“Compa?”

“ _Th-Th-That purple dragon monster! I-It’s back!_ ”

“ _And it’s not letting up this time! We could really use your help **NOW**!_”

_Purple dragon monster? Wait…they don’t mean…_

“R-Right! We’ll be right there! Hold on!” Nepgear then hung up on the device.

“Oh, no! Compa and Iffy are in trouble! We gotta go help them!” Neptune yelled in a panic.

“We’re terribly sorry. Do you mind waiting here until we get back?”

Peach, Mio, and I all looked at each other with most likely the same thought in mind.

“Actually…we’re coming with you.” I said.

“ **H-Huh?!** ”

“Call it weird, but we might actually know who that purple dragon monster is.” Peach said.

“It is a long story and now would be a bad time to explain.” Mio added. “But please do trust us for now.”

“Well…I don’t know…”

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

***BOOM***

“N-No time to think about this, Nep Jr! Planeptune will be destroyed if we keep thinking!” Neptune yelled.

“You’re right, Sis. I just hope the others will understand.”

“So…welcome to the party, ladies! Your help will greatly be appreciated! Now, let’s go!”

“S-Sis! W-Wait for us!”

Neptune then ran off with Nepgear and the rest of us running close behind. It was true that we knew who this purple dragon monster was. And now it was time for revenge…and answers.

_Ridley…this time, we won’t lose!_

* * *

***BOOM***

…

***BOOM***

…

***BOOM***

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

“Tch. Damnit! This thing really refuses to quit!”

“This may be the strongest monster yet, Iffy!”

“Just where the hell did this thing come from?! It looks nothing like the monsters you usually see around here.”

“Compa! Iffy!”

“Geez. About time you two showed up.” Said a girl with pale brown long hair that had a green leaf-like bow on the left side. “W-Wait, who are these girls?”

“Are these the girls Histy sent you to escort?” Asked a girl with long light congo-pink hair.

“Are you serious?! You brought them **HERE?!** ”

“They said that they might know this purple dragon monster. So we took their word.” Nepgear said.

“Huh?”

“Crap. It really is him.” I said under my breath. “ **Ridley!** ” I then yelled. Gaining the Space Pirate Leader’s attention. And, as I expected, he wasn’t happy to see us still alive. Let alone, at all.

“ ** _*growl*_** ”

“I always had a feeling in the back of my mind that he survived that attack.” Peach said.

“Do you think it is because of that girl from before?” Mio asked.

“Probably. But right now isn’t the time to wonder about such a thing.”

“Right you are, Peachy.” I said. “ **Yo, Ridley! You got some explaining to do, you little menace!** ”

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

Ridley came charging at us three while completely ignoring the other four girls. His rampage was now directly aimed towards us. And it was easy to understand why.

“ **Nayru’s Love!** ”

With my crystal barrier, I was able to stop Ridley’s powerful swipe. The sheer force was getting to me. But I managed to push him back completely while completely breaking my barrier to pieces.

“Geez. She resisted **that**?” The brown-haired girl asked.

“She must be super strong.” The pink-haired girl said.

“ _O-Ow…_ ” I winced in pain a little.

“You okay?” Peach asked me.

“ _Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Pr-Probably won’t be able to use that for a while. C-Can you two handle the rest?_ ”

“Yeah, we got it. Mio. You mind keeping Ridley down?”

“Sure thing.” Mio said. “I have just the right spell for it.”

_At least now we get to see Mio’s ice magic in action._

Mio’s staff, a clear white bar with a blue gem in the center and a snowflake floating from it, began to glow as it started floating on its own in front of her. Her eyes were closed. And a chilled force came from all over her body. It was freaking cold. Almost like…ice.

“Check it out. Mio’s glowing all icy and stuff.” Neptune said.

“Um…wh-what’s **THAT**?” Nepgear then pointed out the huge storm cloud appearing over Ridley’s head. And eve he noticed this strange anomaly.

_I-Is that really…_

“Here we go… **Ice Storm!** ”

The storm cloud began rumbling. Then…a bunch of icicle shards began pouring down on the space dragon. Making him screech in pain from the penetrating rain.

_Woah…so this is ice magic…_

“All yours, Peach.”

“Right.” Peach then began forming a giant ball of green light from her open palm. Aiming it at The Cunning God of Death. Until…

“ **PK Flash!** ”

***BOOM***

“ ** _RAAAWWWGGGHH!!!_** ”

Feeling the pain from both the electric ball and the raining ice, Ridley flew away to escape them both. Leaving this unknown world we’re in safe for…who knows how long.

“Dang it! He fled again!”

“Let him go, Zelda.” Peach said to me. “At least he’ll stop attacking this place.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Yeah, I guess.”

“ _Woah._ That…was… **AWESOME SAUSE!** ” Neptune yelled in excitement. “ **I’ve never seeing such asskickery in my life! You girls are total badasses!** ”

“A badass?” I started blushing from embarrassment while rubbing the back of my head. “W-Well…never been described as that before.”

“Calm down, Nep.” The brown-haired girl said with a facepalm. “So, now I see that you three really are the girls in question.”

“Right…” Peach said. “…Nepgear said something about us being “escorted” or something like that.”

“Are we…needed somewhere in this world?” Mio asked.

“This world?” Three of the four girls were confused.

“Well…I’m not sure about the “world” part. But we were told to look out for you girls. My name’s IF, by the way.”

“And my name’s Compa. I’m a nurse-in-training.” The pink-haired girl added.

“Nice to mee you.” I said. “Name’s Zelda.”

“My name’s Peach.”

“And I am Mio. Nice to meet you all.” Mio said with a bow.

“Uh…Mio. Y-You’re still glowing with ice.” Nepgear said. Looking concerned.

“Oh, this. It happens when I haven’t used my ice magic in a while. It will wear off soon.”

“I see…”

***BEEPING NOISE***

“Oh. The N-Gear’s ringing.” Nepgear said as she messed with this weird gadget on her arm again. “Hello?”

“ _Nepgear. Have you located the three girls?_ ”

“Oh, Histoire. Yes, we have. They’re right here with us.”

“Yo, Histy! You’re not gonna believe this! These three girls actually took on the purple dragon monster and **WON!** They had all these sick powers and blasted the thing off and…”

“I said calm down, damnit!” IF yelled as she dragged Neptune away from her sister.

“ _They defeated the purple monster? Hmm…this is interesting to hear. Please…do return to the Basilicom. I shall explain everything once you arrive._ ”

“Okay. We’ll be there shortly.” Nepgear then up her device. “Well, then. Shall we head back?”

“W-Wait, who’s this “Histoire” person?” Peach asked.

“Don’t worry. She’s on our side.” IF said. “She’s pretty knowledgeable. So, if she can explain what’s happening, then it’s best to hear her out.”

“Well…it’s not like we have a choice at the moment. We are kinda lost.”

“Alright.” Neptune said. “Let’s move our butts and head for the Basilicom. Don’t want to keep Histy waiting.”

“I wonder…does Histy know anything about the purple dragon monster?” Compa asked.

“Knowing Histoire, I would be more surprised if she didn’t.” Nepgear said.

And so, with not much choice in the matter, we followed the four girls to whatever this Basilicom place is to meet whoever this Histoire person is. It took us a while, but we’re finally going to know where are we, what’s going on…

…and just what the hell is next for the three of us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story continues! And like I said before, it’s bigger and better than before. Can’t give too many details right now. But here is one.
> 
> One of two new video game series: Hyperdimension Neptunia. It’s a very obscure RPG series that I grew a liking for recently. The series itself basically parodies the gaming industry as a whole. So, it really fits with my style of writing.
> 
> Thanks for reading. And I hope you enjoy the continuation of the former princesses and their grand adventure. Later.


	24. Putting Together the Disturbing Puzzle

“ ** _*moan*_** _So…tired. That Mario Kart tournament went on longer than I thought it would. Those people weren’t messing around this time. Still shocked that I ***yawn*** won that one. I really thought my title was in jeopardy._”

It’s another school day here in Primp and I, like I do every weekend, played Mario Kart until late at night. It’s something Mother tells me not to do. And my friends don’t understand this one hobby I do. But it’s fun for me and I just can’t help it.

After all…I **AM** a Mario Kart Master. **_*giggle*_**

I continued walking to school still completely drained from last night. Normally, I stop playing at 3 (maybe 4) o'clock in the morning. But this tournament was a crazy one. Everyone was trying this time. It was a random spike of extra effort that I had to put into it.

“ ** _*yawn*_** _I hope I can stay up during class today. Maybe a soda would do the trick…_ ”

“ **Lidelle!** ”

“ **Geez, there you are!** ”

“Huh? Amitie? Raffina?” I asked as I saw two of my friends run towards me in a fit of panic.

“ **You gotta come to the school! It’s an emergency!** ” Amitie yelled.

“Well, I was already heading there. But why is it an emergency?”

“Look, we don’t have time to sit here and explain.” Raffina said. “It’ll be faster if you just saw it for yourself. Now, come on!”

“Huh?! W-Wait, Raffina! **You’re pulling my arm too hard! Ow!** ”

The three of us went all the way to Primp Magic School where this emergency was taking place. There were spots on the ground where explosions took place. And some of the walls were blown to pieces. It was an unpleasant sight.

“Wh-What…What happened?” I asked.

“W-Well, you see…” Amitie tried to explain. But then…

“ _Finally, you show up. Is Mario Kart that much more important than me? ***giggle***_ ”

_Wait. That voice…_

“ **Ridel?!** ”

“ _Surprise, Demonic Princess! I return once again!_ ” My evil clone taunted me.

“She wouldn’t stop attacking unless we brought you here.” Ringo said as she and Arle joined the three of us.

“We fended her off long enough for Amitie and Raffina to find you. I forgot how strong this girl actually is.” Arle added.

“Gu gu gu…”

“She’s already destroyed half of the school.” Amitie said. “I think she’s really serious, this time.”

“ ** _Grr…_ Ridel! Why are you here?!**” I yelled in anger.

“ _Oh. Someone’s angry. What, I can’t come by and visit my doppelgänger every once in a while?_ ”

“ **Your** “ **visits** ” **would always lead to you destroying worlds, you damn psycho!** ” Raffina yelled.

“ **Why do you keep coming back when we always take you down?!** ” Amitie asked.

“ ** _*giggle*_** _That’s what different this time, Light Soul. Unlike those previous failed times, my Armageddon will definitely come true this time. And I’ve got means to make it happen._ ”

“Oh, really? Like what?” Ringo asked.

“ _Nyahahahaha! Take a look, Demonic Princess! Look what’s **MINE** now!_” Ridel then pulled from her pocket a red crystal with a red & black hue glowing from it. The other girls had no idea what this crystal was. But I did.

And it was **_really_** bad that Ridel had one of these things.

“ _N-No way. Th-That’s a…_ ”

“ _Hahaha! Right you are, Lidelle! A Chaos Crystal is in **MY** possession! This one gem will spell **DEATH** for every last one of you! **Nyahahahaha!!!**_ ”

“A…Chaos Crystal?” Arle asked.

“Lidelle…wh-what’s a Chaos Crystal?” Raffina asked me.

“U-Uh…” To be honest, I was too afraid to answer. In fact, I was too afraid to do much of anything. Out of all the nightmares that could happen to me, Ridel having a Chaos Crystal is the worst of them all.

“ _Oh. Need a demonstration? I’ll be glad to present you to your early grave. ***giggle***_ ” Ridel said as she held the crystal in front of her. Then, as it glowed brighter, she began saying the sacred chant. The chant that only those who are aware of the existence of the Chaos Crystals know by heart.

And since Ridel is a clone of me…well, you get the idea.

“ _I am thou, thou art I…_

_Hear me, sweet gem. As I cry._

_I force upon you…my greatest desire…_

_To put all mortals in a sea of fire._

_Crystal of Chaos, listen to me…_

_Give me your power…so mote it be!_ ”

The crystal then began to float from the girl’s hand as it started glowing a red hue. A really dark one. And I knew what that meant.

“Guys…run.”

“Huh? What are you…”

“ **Don’t question it!** ” I yelled at Amitie. “ **Just run before she…** ”

“ ** _UNLEASH!!!_** ”

***CRACK***

The crystal had shattered inside of Ridel’s hand. A great amount of power broke free from it all. A dark red power came from the shattered remains of the crystal as the mist came hurling towards us.

I wasn’t prepared. I had nothing to deflect the attack with. All I could really do was try to protect my friends.

But even that was starting to become unlikely.

“ _Wh-What the…h-hell?_ ” Raffina asked.

“ _I-I can’t…br-breathe._ ” Amitie said.

“ _L-Losing…oxygen. Br-Breath…sh-shrinking…”_ Ringo said.

“ _C-Carby…h-hang…o-on…_ ” Arle said while holding onto Carbuncle.

“ _G…Guu…_ ”

“ _D-Damn you…R-Ridel…_ ” I said.

“ ** _Nyahahahaha! This is finally the end of you, Demonic Princess! Suffer in the Depths of Hell like I have time and time again! FACE ETERNAL SUFFER…_** ”

“Galaxia Darkness.”

***SLASH***

“ ** _Gah! What the hell?!_** ”

As the mist was deflected, our breathing was returning back to normal to the point where we could all stand. It was then that we all saw the person that saved us all. And it was a total shock.

“ _M…_ **Meta Knight?!** ”

“ ** _Tch! Damnit! I should’ve known you would follow me here! Just another nuisance!_** ” Ridel yelled.

“Surrender now, Ridel. This is your final warning.” The Lone Swordsman said in a calm yet threatening way.

“ _Hmph! As if! You may have stopped me here, but I’ve got plans way bigger than getting my revenge on Lidelle! Once all 8 Chaos Crystals are found, you all can kiss this universe goodbye! I’ll be sure of it! ***giggle* *giggle* Nyahahahaha!!!**_ ”

Ridel then disappeared from all of us. Leaving the evidence of her destruction for all of us to see and remember forever.

_This girl…she’s just as evil as always._

“Is everyone alright?” Meta Knight asked us.

“Y-Yeah. W-We’re fine…” Amitie said. “…But what are you doing here, Meta Knight?”

“The fact that it’s just you just makes it weirder.” Ringo added.

Meta Knight didn’t say much at first. But after taking a quick breath, he looked at me with the utmost seriousness.

“Lidelle…I’m sure you know what this is about.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Yes. I know. I can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

“L-Lidelle…what is he talking about?” Arle asked.

Not saying much for a bit, I took a deep breath and turned to my friends with the same serious look Meta Knight gave to me.

“Everyone. It’s time I told you…how the universe was created.”

* * *

**Chapter 23 – Putting Together the Disturbing Puzzle**

 

“Hey, hey! Histy! We’re back!” Neptune cheered as Zelda, Mio, and I followed these girls that we just met into this **_really_** big place that they call a “Basilicom”. I still don’t know what that is. But from the looks of its interior, it looks pretty important.

“ _Woah…_ look at this place.” Zelda said.

“Rather impressive, I have to admit.” I said.

“It really is huge.” Mio added. “We definitely don’t have a place like this back in Mythgrove.”

“Mythgrove? Is that where you girls are from?” Nepgear asked.

“That is right. The three of us are really great friends from the calm and peaceful Mythgrove Kingdom. Though, I am pretty sure we are really far from home at this point.”

“I see.”

“Mythgrove sounds like a nice place. I hope we can go visit sometime.” Compa said.

“You really should. It would be a pleasant experience.”

“Looks like Mio’s already making friends here.” Zelda said to me.

“Her friendly personality is a really special trait.”

“Welcome, everyone. Excellent job with that purple dragon.” Hearing a new voice, we all turned to see a very small fairy girl sitting on what looked like a book. Kinda odd…but this is a different world, I suppose.

“Hiya, Histy!” Neptune said. “Well, here they are! The girls you wanted us to bring here. All safe and sound.”

“So, this is Histoire, huh? Really not what I had in mind.” I said with a concerned look.

“You’re not the first person to say that...” IF said with a sweatdrop.

“So, is there any reason why you wanted us to find these girls, Histoire?” Nepgear asked.

“Yeah, now that I think about it, a fetch quest for three random girls seems rather weird.” Compa said.

“I shall explain everything quite soon.” The fairy girl known as Histoire said. “But first…I have been expecting your arrival. Princess Peach and Princess Zelda.”

That’s when the room went silent for a small bit. With Neptune, Nepgear, IF, and Compa looking at us with complete looks of shock.

“W-Wait…Pr-Princess Peach? Pr-Princess Zelda?” Compa asked.

“Y-You mean the rulers of the Mushroom and Hyrule Kingdoms?” Nepgear asked.

“I had my suspicions at first. But to think that these two would actually be **_them_** …” IF said.

“Ho…ly… **CRAP!!! THE TWO MOST WELL-KNOWN PRINCESSES OF ALL TIME ARE IN MY BASILICOM!!! IN PLANEPTUNE!!! IN GAMINDUSTRI!!! THIS IS THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!!!** ” And Neptune had completely lost it.

“Wow. Even in a different universe, you two are really popular.” Mio said to us.

“At this point, I’m not even surprised.” I said.

“Me neither.” Zelda said. “But…how do you know who we are?”

“Everyone should know who you two ladies are, correct?” Histoire asked.

“W-Well yeah, but…we’re not exactly dressed like princesses. Are we really **THAT** recognizable?”

“If it makes you feel any better, Miss Zelda, I didn’t recognize you at first. You and Miss Peach have really good disguises.” Compa said.

_Why did she start calling us “Miss”?_

“Um…thanks, Compa. A-And the “Miss” part isn’t really necessary.”

“W-Wait a second! Why are the two most well-known princesses of all time doing in a place like Planeptune?!” IF asked.

“Well…seeing as how introductions are now out of the way, I shall explain all that I currently know.” Histoire said. “Listen up now, everyone. Especially you, Neptune.”

“Wh-What? I’ll listen! If it involves the princess duo in some way, then I’m all ears!”

“If only you were this diligent when it came to your duties…” Histoire gained a sweatdrop.

* * *

And so, with the three of us chiming in every once in awhile, Histoire gave a short but detail explanation on what was going on. How she knew Palutena (in a way she wouldn’t reveal) and was told about the situation that happened in the Sheoru Mines shortly before we ended up here. And it was all starting to become clear to us.

“So, that girl back at the mines…her name is…Ridel Honnari?” Zelda asked.

“And she’s working with Ridley to destroy all universes?” Peach asked.

“That is all I know at the moment.” Histoire said. “The story itself is still developing by the minute. But this is what Palutena has informed me.”

“An evil girl…destroying universes…s-so that means Mythgrove is…” We could see Mio beginning to tear up a little. Now realizing that her home is possibly gone by now thanks to this Ridel girl.

“Oh no…Mio, I’m so sorry.” Compa said as she tried to cheer up her new friend.

“ _I-It is alright, Compa. I-I shall ***sniff*** …learn how to cope with this news._”

_Poor Mio…_

“What kind of person is this Ridel wacko? Destroying universes just for the fun of it? Who does that?” Neptune asked.

“Unfortunately…any information about Ridel is unknown. As she is from a different universe herself.” Histoire said. “But there is a girl from this same universe that has dealt with Ridel in the past. And we are hopeful to receive her aid soon. Until then, we may have to fight back on our own for a while.”

“Fight back?” IF asked. “But who knows if there are more of those other-worldly monsters out here now. We barely won against that purple dragon.”

“What did you girls say his named was again?” Nepgear asked us.

“His name is Ridley.” I said. “We’ve dealt with him once or twice before coming here. So, we had a little advantage in beating him this time.”

“ **YOU** defeated Ridley? I guess you’re not as useless of a princess as I thought you were, Peach.”

We all turned around to the exit of this Basilicom to see one person that I didn’t expect to be alive.

…

Then again…he was never alive, to begin with.

“ **Wah! A-A skeletal turtle monster?!** ” Compa yelled in fear.

“ **Dry Bowser?! You survived, too?!** ” I asked.

“I would question how you three are still alive…but I had already figured out how we all survived such an attack.” Dry Bowser then faced Histoire. “And it’s because of you, isn’t it?”

“My, my. Quick to realize, as always. It is nice to reacquaint with you, Dry Bowser.”

“ **Huh?!** ” We all yelled in shock.

“Histy, you **KNOW** this skeletal turtle dude?” Neptune asked.

“Dry Bowser and myself go back quite a bit. We are acquaintances, at best.”

“You’ve been to this universe before? For what?” Zelda asked Dry Bowser.

“I have my reasons. Reasons that unnecessary for you to know.”

“I see…”

“So, I assume that you are aware of what is happening, correct?” Histoire asked.

“Obviously. I knew from the very beginning. And I was going to take on Ridley myself when these three and their little group showed up.”

“Wait, so that’s why you were at the mines?” I asked.

“You fighting Ridley…geez, what kind of secret final boss are you?” Zelda asked.

“And here come the 4th wall breaks…” Dry Bowser said with an annoyed sigh.

_At least he and I can agree on something…_

“Wait, you said “their little group”. Are there others from the same world as Peach, Zelda, and Mio?” Nepgear asked.

“From what I was told, that is the case.” Histoire said. “But I was only told about the two princesses. I did not know about Mio and I most certainly do not know about any others being here.”

“Well, we gotta at least try to find them. They’re our friends.” Zelda said.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Princess.” IF said. “But Gamindustri is a really big world and Planeptune is a really big area. Finding your friends isn’t going to be a walk in the park.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Man. Why’d we had to get separated? Couldn’t Palutena just kept us together when sending us to a completely different universe?”

“I guess it was a last-minute type of thing, Zelda.” I said.

“ ** _*sigh*_** I guess.” I could just hear the sadness in Zelda’s tone. I know she wants to find everyone and I do, too. But with how big this Gamindustri world is, it doesn’t seem likely.

“If you’re looking for your friends, I think I just saw one of them recently.”

“W-Wait, what?”

“ **Seriously?!** ” Zelda asked Dry Bowser with tons of excitement in her voice.

“Who was it?” I asked.

“It was that girl with the short black hair. Had a Phanto mask on her face. Not sure where she got that from.”

“Short black hair? Phanto mask? **No way! That’s Hanako!** ” Zelda cheered.

“Where did you last see her?” Mio asked.

“Some populated area down the block from here. She was with this blue-haired nutcase who kept calling herself the “Heroine of Justice”. I honestly felt sorry for that girl.”

“Heroine of Justice? Wait, isn’t that Nisa?” Nepgear asked.

“She was probably around when that Ridley thing was attacking.” IF said. “Although, I really can’t imagine someone like her taking on that thing. Despite her strength.”

“So, we just gotta find Nisa and we’ll find your friend. Easy-peasy.” Neptune said.

“Didn’t you hear what I said, Nep? This city is **BIG**! Even with the tip Dry Bowser just gave us, we can’t pinpoint exactly where they are!”

“But we have to try, Iffy! We can’t disappoint the princesses, can we?”

“Nep-Nep’s right!” Compa said. “It’s like my grandpa said. “ _Never be like the jelly to your burger, the knife to your soup, the glitter to your sushi, and the ketchup to your ice cream._ ”.”

“Wh-What does that mean?” Mio asked with a really confused look on her face.

“We tend not to question Compa’s Grandfather’s quotes…” Nepgear said with a sweatdrop.

“Well…alright, fine. It beats sitting here all day. Especially with what’s going on right now.” IF said.

“I will try to gather more information while you are out.” Histoire said. “And with Dry Bowser here, I should be able to do that.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Fine. Whatever.” Dry Bowser didn’t look too happy about it. Then again, the only time I’ve ever seen him at least somewhat happy is whenever he wins during one of the spin-off games. Skeletons don’t really show many emotions. Case in point, the many times I’ve lost to Dry Bones in Mario Party.

_How do I lose to him, of all people?_

“Alrighty then.” Neptune said as she walked up to us. “Not to worry, princesses and Mio. CPU Neptune will show you all that is here in good ‘ol Planeptune. We’ll find your friends in no time!”

“Wow. Thanks, everyone. We really owe you for this.” Zelda said.

“No problemo. Now let’s get going!”

And so, with that said, we began our first lead into this new adventure we’re in. Finding Hanako and whoever this Nisa person she’s with. It’s a rather small step…

_…But just how big is this adventure going to get?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. The trio of girls has found out what has truly happened in the Sheoru Mines. And Ridley’s true intentions with the mysterious girl now known as Ridel. Their first adventure as former princesses is only just beginning.
> 
> The second video game series to be added. Puyo Puyo. It’s a puzzle game where you have to pop four of the same color in order to make chains and stuff. It’s a series that I write for a lot and I’m really excited to add it to this story.
> 
> These are the four series that will be represented the most. Character and setting wise. Any others (new and old) will be represented with at least one character. At least for now.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	25. The Heroine’s New Sidekick

And so…with everything thus far explained by Histoire and the tip we received from Dry Bowser, the seven of us were back outside walking around this new world we ended up in. which, according to Neptune, is called Planeptune.

_Wait, is this placed named after her?_

“So, you stated that this place is called Planeptune? Such a beautiful place this is.” Mio said.

“Yeah, even I have to admit. The aesthetics of this place puts the Mushroom Kingdom to shame.” Peach added.

“Aw, shucks. You’re making me blush over here, Peachy.” Neptune said.

“Nep, don’t give the princess a cheesy nickname.” IF said.

“It’s fine. I don’t really mind. Zelda calls me that, too.”

“Yep, it’s true.” I said. “The two of us have been friends since…well…it’s kinda complicated, now that I think about it. **_Really_** wish there weren’t so many different versions of me.”

“Right…” IF seemed to have accepted that answer. But I feel like she has tons of questions that she’s just not asking for some reason. Probably for our sake.

“So is this place really ruled by you, Neptune?” I asked.

“Righty-o, Zelda! Around here, I am known as a CPU. I watch over the citizens of good ‘ol Planeptune and bring peace to it all.”

“It also includes doing work and stuff. Which Nep rarely does.” IF added.

“Iffy! Don’t tell them that, you meanie beanie!”

“It’s true. You either let it pile up like a mountain or have Gear do it.”

“It’s mostly the latter…” Nepgear said with a sweatdrop.

“You do work as well, Nepgear?” Mio asked.

“That’s right. I am known as a CPU Candidate. I’m basically the next CPU if and when my big sister steps down. So, my job is just as important.”

“I see. Very interesting.”

“Geez. CPU, Gamindustri…this is all sounding like one huge video game.” I said.

“Well, about that, Princess…”

***BOOM***

“Wh-Whoa! What was that?!” Compa yelled.

***BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM***

“Ugh. Is that damn dragon back already?” IF asked.

“He really doesn’t quit, does he?” Peach asked.

“Let me at him! I’ll teach that stupid Ridley monster to destroy **MY** home!” Neptune yelled as she was ready to fight.

“S-Sis…” Nepgear said with concern.

“Heh. So, you annoying little tramps are ready to fight, huh? Lucky for you, I’m all game this time.”

We heard a new voice and faced a grey-skinned girl with green hair. Wearing an all grey jacket and pants and holding some kind of club in her hand.

“Miss Underling?” Compa asked.

“Oh, great. You’re still around?” IF asked while looking completely unamused.

“Damn right, I’m still around. I’m tough as all hell compared to you pansies.”

“More like annoying as all hell.”

“Tch! You damn tomboy! You and your group of girly girls piss me off, as always!”

“So, uh…who is this girl?” Peach asked.

“Oh, that’s just Underling.” Neptune said. “She’s just your basic low-leveled thug. Nothin’ to her…much.”

“Oh, screw you, CPU!” The girl (oddly) known as Underling yelled out.

“Look, if you’re just going to be a nuisance again, then we don’t have time for you.” IF said.

“We have other things to do. So, please step aside.” Nepgear added.

“Ha! You think I’m going to listen to your royal pain in the ass? I’ll leave when I want to. And right now, I’m not leaving until you princesses are down on the ground!”

“W-Wait, what?! How do you know who we are?!” I asked.

“A-And what do you mean by…“down on the ground”?” Mio asked.

“It means I’m killing ya, Icy girl! Once I’m done with you, Mistress Ridel with promote me for sure.”

“M-Mistress Ridel?”

“You’re working for Ridel?” Compa asked.

“After you damn CPU’s took down the syndicate, I was left without a job and homeless on the streets of this dump. I was nothing more than a bum on the street…that is until I heard about Mistress Ridel’s plan to annihilate all universes. Such a devastating goal was too good to let it pass on by. So, starting today, I’m one of her newly-found followers. And my first job is to eliminate these two pretty-pretty princesses. Didn’t expect that now, did you?”

…

…

…

“So, you are a slave.” Mio said.

“ **Sl-Slave?! Th-The hell made you think that?!** ”

“Well, you said that you are working for this Ridel girl. It would normally make you a minion or something along those terms. But in this case, you are more like a slave. A very low rank on the helper’s scale. You seemed proud of the title, though. So, it must fit you, correct?”

“ _Tch! Wh-Why you little…_ ”

“Uh…is she serious?” IF asked us two.

“Mio sometimes says stuff without thinking first. It’s another quirk of hers.” Peach said.

“It can be funny sometimes, though.” I added. “She once referred to a friend of ours as a 12.5-year-old.”

“That was funny to you?” Peach asked me with an exasperated look.

“I am sorry. Did I offend?” Mio asked with a confused look.

“ **No shit, Sherlock!** ” Underling yelled in anger. “ **You pissed me off so damn much that I’m gonna ENJOY clubbing you to death! And that goes for the rest of you, too!** ”

“You talk all high like a horse…but there’s 7 of us and only one of you.” Neptune said. “We’ll take you down lickity-split.”

“Heh. That’s what you think, CPU. **Come on out, boys!** ”

***SNAP***

And with a snap of her fingers, six black puddles appeared around Underling. And soon, each of them started forming into a black water-like humanoid creature with glowing grey eyes. Their long arms and leg were disproportional compared to their bodies. And they had three large fingers and two large toes on each.

And finally was the round pink brain around their transparent heads. All of these things combined with the look, in general, made Peach and I worry with shock.

“Wh-What the goodness?! Black shadows?!” Nepgear yelled out.

“Th-They look really mean. A-Almost stone cold.” Compa said with fear in her voice.

“ _P-Peachy._ ” I whispered to her. “ _D-Don’t these black things…_ ”

“ _…Look a lot like Chaos? Yeah…they do._ ”

“Y-Yikes! Underling’s got her own band of underlings! What a twisty-twist!” Neptune yelled.

“Hahaha! You damn right it’s a twist! One that’s right in my favor, for once!”

“This energy I’m feeling…it’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen.” IF said. “How the hell does a low-life criminal like you have control of it?”

“Like I’m telling you, tomboy. You’re all going to burn in Hell, anyway. So, what’s the point in taking worthless info to graves? Hahahaha!”

“L-Looks like Miss Histoire truly meant it when she said that we had to fight on our own.” Mio said.

“These black shadows look really tough. Can we truly beat them all?” Nepgear asked.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” I said as I stepped forward. “ **Din’s Fire!** ”

***BOOM***

…

“Huh?!”

“Oh no! Zelda’s attack didn’t work!” Compa yelled.

“It was a giant ball of fire! How did it not work?!”

“Maybe freezing them is the trick.” IF said. “Mio, can you do another ice spell?”

“I could try.” Mio then began to glow that icy chill as her staff started to float again. This time, the snowflake at the top pointing directly at the black shadows. And as it began to spin all crazy-looking…

“ **Glacieria!** ”

…Mio’s staff started shooting out a slew of icicle shards, almost like bullets from a gun, at the black shadows. Majority of them ending with an explosion and wiping them out completely.

“D…Damn…” IF said.

“Who knew ice could be so powerful?” Compa asked in shock.

“Ice Magic is like totally wicked.”

“It truly is…” Nepgear agreed with her sister.

“I can totally see why you learned it, Mio.” I said to her. To which all she replied with was a few chuckles of gratitude.

_Note to self: stay friends with Mio._

“D-Damn. Wh-What kind of freak are you?” Underling asked. Just as shocked as we were.

“Guess you’re all finished without your lackies around, huh?” Neptune teased.

“Wait, Nep-Nep. Hold on.” Compa said as she pointed at the puddles bubbling on the ground. And then soon after, they all raised back up. With not even a single scratch on their bodies.

“ **S-Seriously?! They took that like it was nothing!** ” I yelled.

“Just like the original…” Peach said to herself.

“Hahahaha!” Meanwhile, this Underling girl was enjoying our failure at this. “Oh, wow! I guess Mistress Ridel truly meant it when she said that she made these shadows powerful enough to withstand anything and anyone! You all are screwed beyond compare!”

“Damnit! Not even a powerful attack like that was able to stop them! Just what are these things?!” IF asked.

“ _Is this truly game over already?! We only just started a new save file!_ ” Neptune whined.

“Save file?” Peach asked with a sweatdrop.

“Alright! Enough talk! Boys…it’s time. **KILL THEM ALL!** ”

“Not on my watch, vile villain!”

“Huh? Who’s there? Who just said…”

***POW***

“ **Gah! My face!** ” Underling yelled in sheer pain as she was kicked in the face by a grey shoe. The owner of said grey shoe pushed off of the minion. Making her fall to the floor in the process as she landed in front of us all.

“Gamindustri’s peace…threatened by a new form of evil. The one who judges this evil is the Heroine of Justice with no equal. Once summoned, she appears in a lighting flash fashion. She is Gamindustri’s shinning Hero of Justice! The one, the only…Nisa!”

“Oh! It’s Nisa!” Nepgear cheered.

“ **THAT’S** Nisa?” Peach, Mio, and I asked as we all questioned the appearance of this blue-haired black shorts-jumpsuit wearing girl.

“ _D…Damnit. This wacko again…_ **You broke my nose, you wild animal!** ” Underling yelled in anger.

“Be lucky I didn’t ruin your whole face, you pawn of evil!”

“ _Grr…this little…I’ve had enough of this. Yo, shadows. Take them down._ ”

At the command, the Chaos-like shadows came slowly at us. Almost like a zombie-like state of mind. Probably the only thing different from the original Chaos.

“Aw, crappers! What do we do now?!” Neptune asked.

“ ** _*giggle*_** Not to worry, ladies. I have this covered. The girl named Nisa said with total confidence.

“You do?” Nepgear asked.

“And just what do you mean by that?” IF asked.

“Just watch and see.”

While this conversation was going on, the black shadows were near inches to us. Just a few more and we’ll be done for.

“Wait for it… _wait for it…_ **NOW!** ”

“ **S…Sutra Woid!** ”

Suddenly, a bunch of dark portals appeared underneath each black shadow and started sucking each of them in. They all struggled to get out…but they were no match. And they were sucked in completely.

…

…

…

“What?” The other five residents of this universe said in disbelief.

_Th-That was…Shadow Magic, right? The only person I know that can use that is…_

“Wha… **What the hell did you just do?! Sucked my shadows in the ground?! Since when the hell were you magical and crap?!** ” Underling yelled as she spat out multiple questions at once.

“Do you wish to find out?” Nisa asked. “I’ll be glad to give you an answer.”

“Tch! D-Damnit! **I’ll make you girly bimbos pay for this!** ” This was the last thing this underling girl yelled out before running away in defeat. Leaving most of us confused about what just happened.

“Alright! A victory for justice!”

“N-Nisa!” Nepgear yelled at the girl.

“Hm? Oh hey, everyone. Long time no see.”

“ **Don’t** “ ** _Oh hey, everyone_** ” **us! What the hell did you just do?!** ” IF yelled.

“Oh, that? That wasn’t me. It was the work of my new sidekick.”

“Sidekick?” Compa asked.

“I just met her today and…Oh! Here she comes! Hey there, Sidekick of Justice! Nice work out there!”

“Please stop referring to me as “Sidekick of Justice”. It truly sounds demeaning.” Said a girl while walking towards us. And with the short black hair and her face coved by a Phanto mask, Peach, Mio, and I knew who this was. And we were truly happy to see her.

“ **Hey there, Hanako!** ” I cheered.

“Z-Zelda? P-Peach? M-Mio? Y-You three are safe?!” Hanako asked as she removed her Phanto mask from her face.

“Yeah, we are.” Peach said.

“Glad to know that you survived, too.” Mio added.

“I see. Well…s-same to you all.”

“Oh, my. So, this is Hanako?” Nepgear asked.

“Aw. She looks all cutesy-wootsie with her young self.” Neptune said. “Almost like a cute little living doll. I wonder if she squeaks.”

“Please don’t try to find out, Sis.”

“U-Um…wh-who are all of these people?” Hanako asked with a little nervousness.

“These girls are helping us as we try to find everyone.” Peach said.

“They’re really friendly. Nothing to worry about.” I added.

“Um…okay. If you girls say so.” Hanako still didn’t look too sure about it. But I guess she’s willing to play along.

“Everyone, this is Hanako. A friend of ours and she’s actually the princess of the Mythgrove Kingdom.”

“N-Nice to meet you…everyone.” Hanako said with a bow.

“Wow. The princess of Mythgrove.” Compa said.

“I gotta say, Princess. That’s a pretty bold outfit you’re wearing.” IF pointed out Hanako’s outfit, which was honestly new to me. She wore a small black, white, & red top that only covered her chest and neck. Leaving her stomach completely exposed. The gloves that she wore were the same colors. And so were her short shorts. But they were held up by a black & white belt. And she now wore boots that matched the top instead of the white sneakers she wore before.

_What is with these outfits here? They’re so much better than the ones in Mythgrove._

“Th-This? U-Uh, well…”

“You like?” Nisa asked. “I equipped her in the latest outfit fit for a future heroine. Her old one wasn’t doing it.”

“You put a princess in such a revealing outfit and made her walk around with you in public? That’s all sorts of wrong.” IF said.

“S-Sorry. I didn’t even know she was a princess. She didn’t really talk to me all that much.”

“Th-That is because you are kinda weird.” Hanako said. “And also a bit delusional.”

“W-Weird? Delusional?”

“Well, Dry Bowser did say that she was a nutcase.” Mio added.

“N-Nutcase?! For real?!”

“Hey, you two.” Peach said. “A little word of advice. Keep any insults to yourselves. No matter how true they are.”

“Hmph. Well, I’ll have you know that the Heroine of Justice is no nutcase. Just a girl with a dream of bringing peace to all of Gamindustri.”

“Uh-huh.” From the look on Peach’s face, she still thinks this Nisa girl is a nutcase. Although, I think she’s pretty fun.

“And besides. Aside from Princess Hanako, you three look completely new to me. Who are you, anyway?”

“Oh yeah, Nisa! You are totally not going to believe this! These two are actually…”

“Can it, Nep.” IF said as she covered Neptune’s mouth. “If you go blurting out their true identities to everyone, it won’t be good for any of us.”

“Oh, yeah. Whoopsie. We should probably get back to Histy now, anyways.”

“You’re welcomed to join us, Nisa.” Nepgear said.

“Really? Alright, I’m in! Onward, fellow sidekick!”

“Pl-Please stop referring to me as such!” Hanako yelled as Nisa ran off in the opposite direction of where we came from.

“So, this universe has its fair share of crazy people, huh?” Peach asked.

“Trust me, Princess. This world has more crazy people than you can count.” IF said in a tone similar to Peach’s.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Great.”

“Please try to cheer up, you two.” Compa said as we eventually tried to catch up to the speedy Heroine of Justice.


	26. A New Land Has Appeared

“The Chaos Crystals…the source of ultimate power for every universe known to mankind. Just one crystal is enough to create or destroy any universe you so wish. Just as long as you know the sacred chant to unleash its true power.”

“Woah…that’s crazy.” Amitie said.

“A gem that lets you create or destroy a universe…that’s pretty insane right, Carby?” Arle asked her friend.

“Gugugu…”

“Somehow, I’m not surprised that such a thing exists.” Ringo said with an exasperated look.

“Yeah, me neither.” Raffina added. “Probably because I’m already used to being dragged into world-shattering events. It’s somehow the norm around here.”

“Well…yeah, I guess.” I gained a sweatdrop.

After everyone had regained some of their energy, I was explaining to Amitie, Arle, Ringo, and Raffina what exactly is happening. The crystal in Ridel’s hand, Meta Knight showing up out of nowhere…

And finally…the creation of our universe.

“S-So, you’re saying that it was **YOUR** family that created our universe, Lidelle?” Amitie asked.

“Yep. It’s true. I’m the reason why we’re all here.”

“W-Wait, I don’t get it.” Ringo said. “Does that include Arle and me?”

“It does. When my father, The Great Demon King Namanari, was still alive and still in power, there was a huge war between the Angelic Warriors of Heaven and the Demonic Entities of Hell. It was brutal, gruesome, and just flat out deadly. Few survived. The single universe at the time was completely destroyed. And my father soon regretted taking part in that horrible war. And so, to make it up to all, he and the God of Heaven at the time created 8 special gems. Each having the power to create, control, and crush a separate universe of their own. And they’re each guarded by a specific person known as a Crystal Guardian to make sure they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Those 8 gems eventually became known as…The Chaos Crystals.”

“W-Woah…” Was all the four girls were able to say after that long backstory.

“And now with Ridel after them all, each of these 8 universes are in some serious trouble.” Meta Knight said.

“And she already has one. The Red Chaos Crystal…I can’t remember what universe that one is linked to.”

“That is the one for the Six Kingdoms Universe. Ridel has already sent that one into a void of nothing. Though, we’ve managed to save one of them. The Kingdom of Mythgrove.”

“I see. So even with that, she’s still ahead of us. This isn’t good at all.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Arle said.

“ _Hey! Amitie!_ ” We suddenly heard a voice calling out for Amitie. Then we saw her twin sister Rivitie flying up to us.

“Oh hey, Sis! What are you doing here?”

“ _Don’t give me that! We were supposed to go look for Mom, remember?_ ”

“O-Oh, yeah. I remember. B-B-But then Ridel showed up out of nowhere and started attacking the school. I-I kinda got sidetracked.”

“ _Ridel, again? Geez. Why is that girl so persistent?_ ”

“You should know, Rivitie. You did create her.” Raffina said.

“ _D-Don’t remind me, damnit._ ”

“Wait, hold on. Melody’s gone missing?” I asked Amitie.

“Well…not exactly missing. But more like…ran off.”

“Ran off? You mean she deserted you two?” Ringo asked.

“Wow. Never would thought Melody would do that…” Arle said.

“Gugu…”

“Wh-What? No! Sh-She didn’t desert us!”

“ _She means that wherever Mom went, it involves another secret of that Red Puyo Hat Legend from before._ ” Rivitie said. “ _She even left a note this time._ ”

Reading the note  the Rose sisters had with them, it was easy for me to tell that this was more than a simple missing persons situation.

* * *

_Hiya, Ammy!_

_I went on a quick…well, not so quick…errand for a quickie. Not sure when I’ll be back. And I can’t really tells ya where exactly I’ve gone. But you’ll totes do fine without me. After all, you got Rivitie **AND** you Light Soul powers. Hopefully, what I’m doing will make you keep the latter. _

_Anyway. Laters!_

_Mom_

* * *

“Geez. She writes letters like a teenager.” I said.

“That’s just Mom’s immaturity.” Amitie said as both sisters gained a sweatdrop. “Sis and I are completely used to it by now.”

“I feel your pain all too well.” Raffina said with an exasperated look and tone.

_Must be relating herself with Amira and Sara…_

“Well, anyway. With Ridel after the Chaos Crystals, the one that’s here has to be protected at all times.”

“And if I had to guess, the Crystal Guardian of this universe is…”

“Yep. Satan.” I answered Arle.

“ ** _*sigh*_** Aw, damnit. We’re screwed.”

“Gugugu…” Carbuncle imitated Arle’s facepalm.

“Don’t worry. Once I explain everything that’s happening, he’ll take it seriously. There’s no way he’ll let the universe get destroyed if it means that he won’t have his group of fangirls constantly admiring him.”

“ _I swear. That pisses me off every time._ ” Arle whispered to herself in anger.

“Man…the Chaos Crystals…never did I think that Ridel would go after those. I truly need to stop her before she gets her hands on the rest of them. All universes will be doomed if that happens.”

“And that…is **EXACTLY** what’s going to happen.”

“Huh?”

Walking up to us from the front doors of the school was a light purple-skinned woman who looked like some kind of witch. It was probably the black witch hat decorated with a light purple rose and golden thorns that made me think that. But that’s what she looked like.

“Damn. This is bad.” Meta Knight said.

“You know her?” I asked him.

“Not personally. But I do know that she and Ridel share the same goal. Finding the Chaos Crystals and destroying the universes.”

“Crap. That is bad.”

“Lidelle Namanari. The Demonic Princess of Hell…at first, I didn’t believe it. But now I see that you are just as shrimp-ish as Ridel.”

“Sh-Shrimp-ish?” I felt that insult personally hard.

_I-It’s not my fault that I’m short…_

“Geez. Who the hell is this grey old hag?” Raffina asked.

“Tch. Never you mind, you damn brat. My business is with the Demonic Princess and her only. The rest of you heathens can get out of my way.”

“And just **WHO** are you calling a heathen, you wrinkly old…”

“Raffina, wait! Let me handle this.” I said to her before she lost her cool.

“Tch. F-Fine.”

“Now then.” I turned my attention to the witch lady. “You mentioned Ridel in some way, right? Are you working with her?”

“How smart of you to figure that out. Yes, I am working with her. And one of our shared objectives is to take down the nuisances in our lives. I am here to annihilate you, Demonic Princess.”

“Oh, really?” I grew a smirk on my face. “If you think you can defeat me so easily, then you’re the most cliché villain I have ever seen.”

“And you’re just as cocky. Just like that damn CPU. Luckily…you both will be out of our way. And I’ll be sure of it.”

“CPU? Like a computer?” Amitie asked.

“ _This hag’s got a screw loose and it’s pissing me off. Lidelle, just kill her already._ ” Rivitie said.

“I-I don’t kill people, Rivitie…” I gained a sweatdrop.

“Hahahahaha! You? Kill me? Don’t make me laugh. I’ll plunge you all into a sea of darkness and despair. With no way out but to die.”

“That sounds **_really_** cliché…” Ringo said.

“To think that Ridel is working with such a lame villain…it’s kinda sad.” Arle said.

“Gu…”

“Tch. **Enough of this! Die already, Demonic Princess!** ”

The woman then took from her pocket a strange-looking crystal (there seem to be a lot of those recently). But it wasn’t a Chaos Crystal. Instead, it was a magenta icosahedron ruby with black ripple patterns along its surface. It looked so small. As if it could fit in the palm of her hand.

But the power it had…it was beyond anything I’ve ever felt before. I felt my body getting weaker as the sudden distortion became bigger and louder. I couldn’t move. It felt like my power was being drained by this ruby. There was no chance in hell I was going to defend against this woman.

“ _I-I…c-can’t move._ ” I struggled to speak. “ _Wh-What…i-is this thing?_ ”

“Hahahahaha!” The woman began taunting me. “How truly pathetic. That child was right about this ruby thing making you nothing more into a joke. Now to make you…disappear.”

“D-Disappear?! Oh, no! Lidelle!”

“No, Amitie! It is too dangerous to interfere!” Meta Knight stopped her from rushing over to me.

“B-But…”

“The power that ruby contains is far beyond anything you can handle. You’ll end up like Lidelle is now if you interfere. Or worse.”

 “Y-You say that, but…”

“ _A-Amitie…i-it’s okay._ ” I spoke with the little energy I had.

“Huh? How is **_this_** okay?”

“ _I’ll…f-find a way back. I-In the meantime…protect…the Chaos…Crystal._ ”

“B-But how…”

“ _Listen to her, you over caring dunce._ ” Rivitie said to her sister. “ _There’s nothing we can do about this. So, just let her handle it._ ”

Amitie went silent. Not sure on what to say anymore. I know that she wants to stop this witch woman and rescue me. But this power…this distortion…it’s nothing like I’ve dealt with in the past.

The only thing that could truly explain it…as I was slowly being dragged into the small hole it had created…was that this ruby was from a different universe.

And I was about to be sent to either that same universe…or another one entirely.

_Wh-What’s…going to happen to me? Wh-What is…R-Ridel…d-doing…?_

* * *

**Chapter 25 – A New Land Has Appeared**

 

After finding Hanako, we all went back to the Basilicom place to explain to her what was going on. And what we knew so far.

“W-Wait, hold on. Th-This is a…d-different universe?”

And like us, she was totally confused.

“That’s what it looks like.” I said to her. “Zelda, Mio, and I ended up in a rainbow area and found our way here.”

“I’m hoping that the others are here, too.” Zelda said. “But apparently, this universe is so big that finding them is going to be a very tedious task.”

“I see. A-And what you said about…a-about Mythgrove…”

“Hanako…I am truly sorry.” Was all Mio had to say for Hanako to truly understand what happened to her kingdom.

“I-I see. S-So, in the end…we have failed to save my mother. And the whole kingdom has perished without us knowing. _What a ***sniff*** horrible punishment this is._”

“Hanako…” All three of us were able to tell that Hanako was beating herself down for this. After all, she wanted to save her mom. And tagged along with us to do just that. And now…not only with her gone, but the entire kingdom (or universe, at this point) gone…she has every right to be sad and depressed.

_Maybe we shouldn’t have gotten her involved…_

“Aw. Cheer up, fellow sidekick.” Nisa said she appeared in front of us. “You and I can face off against the wicked evils of Gamindustri together and put them in their place for good!”

“I-I do not want that and please stop referring to me as such!” Hanako began to blush out of embarrassment.

“Leave her alone, Nisa. She’s going through a tough moment.” IF said.

“I know. I’m just trying to cheer her up. Princess or sidekick, you can’t be sad all the time.”

“True…but maybe drop the “sidekick” part from now on.” Zelda said.

“I…guess that might help.”

“Hey, hey, ladies. If you keep talking, then your cake is gonna go to waste. How’s about I eat it for ya’s?”

“Neptune, you already had three slices. Let the others have theirs.” Nepgear said to her sister.

“ _Aw. But they’re just sitting there. Waiting to be eaten. Letting them sit there is a huge injustice. Right, Nisa?_ ”

“Uh…I don’t think the same thing applies to cake, Neptune.” Nisa gained a sweatdrop.

“Here, Neptune. You can have mine. I wasn’t going to eat it, anyway.”

“ **Alright! Thanks, Peachy!** ” Neptune cheered as she took the cake from my hands.

“You don’t like cake, Peach?” Compa asked me.

“Not anymore. I’m flat out sick of it.”

“When you spend 30+ years making and eating cake for people, you kinda do get sick of it.” Zelda explained.

“That’s understandable.” IF said. “I would feel the same way if I had to do that.”

“It’s a good thing that you’re a terrible cook, Iffy.” Compa said.

“ **D-Don’t bring that up!** ” IF started blushing.

“Anyway. I’m rather curious. What exactly is this Gamindustri place?”

“Oh, yeah. You never did explain this…universe. Man, I’m still trying to get used to that.” Zelda said.

“I can explain it to you, ladies.” Histoire said to us. “Gamindustri, more or less, is a parallel world that parodies the video games seen in the Real World.”

“Parodies the games in the Real World?” Zelda and I were surprised.

“So, you guys acknowledge the Real World? That’s unheard of.” Zelda said.

“I do not understand. What is this…“Real World” place?” Mio asked.

“It is a bit complicated to explain. This universe is quite different from yours. Or the one that Peach and Zelda resided in. Think of it as…a separate universe that sees us as “imaginary” or something to that nature.”

“I-I see…”

“ ** _*moan*_** All of this universe talk is still rather confusing to comprehend. I do not think I will ever understand it all.” Hanako said.

“Don’t worry, Princess.” Nepgear said. “If you ever need help understanding, I’ll be glad to explain it to you.”

“Oh. Well…thank you for the assistance, uh…Nepgear, was it?”

“That’s right. And you’re very welcome, Princess Hanako.”

“Now. If I may continue…” Histoire said. “…Gamindustri was once a ginormous landmass ruled by one Console Patron Unit. Or better known as a CPU. But due to some events in time and history, it is now four separate nations ruled by four separate CPUs.

Lastation, ruled by the CPU Noire.

Lowee, ruled by the CPU Blanc.

Leanbox, ruled by the CPU Vert.

And finally, Planeptune. Ruled by…”

“Ruled by everyone’s favorite cute female protagonist…me! Neptune the Great! Mwahahahahaha!”

“Nobody likes a bragger, Nep.” IF retorted.

“Anyway…” Histoire continued. “…These four nations live in peace and often help each other in times of need. Though, the “times of need” part rarely happens. And they just sit around and play video games all day. Especially Neptune.”

“H-Hey, I do work!” Neptune yelled. “I just take it slow. Like one document at a time.”

“More like one sentence at a time.”

“ ** _*whine*_** _You’re too cruel, Histy!_ ”

“Wow. That’s some story.” Zelda said. “Meanwhile, I can only remember part of Hyrule’s history due to that stupid and confusing timeline.”

“At least you **HAVE** history, Zelda.” I said. “I’m pretty sure the Mushroom Kingdom just faded into existence and nobody gave a second thought about it.”

“Um…I-I am pretty sure at least someone would have noticed if that truly happened, Princess Peach.” Histoire gained a sweatdrop.

“ ** _*sigh*_** ” And while all of this was being explained, Hanako was more depressed than she was a few minutes ago. And it was obvious as to why.

“Hanako…” Mio tried to comfort her princess.

“I-It is okay. I-I am learning to cope with it all. It is just…I wish I could see it one last time. It is my home, after all.”

“Oh, dear. Poor Princess Hanako…” Compa said. “Isn’t there something we can do about it?”

“Compa’s totally right.” Neptune said. “It’s that Ridel girl’s fault that this is happening. Why can’t we just go after her already?”

“I wish it were that simple, Neptune.” Histoire said. “But we have no other leads at the moment. We still do not know anything about Ridel. And Ridley’s whereabouts are currently unknown. We are currently at a standstill.”

“Man, that totally sucks. The game has just started and we’re already stuck. This is **NOT** a normal plotline.”

_Plotline?_

“Well, it can’t always be easy, Nep.” IF said. “I mean, it’s not like a sudden twist in the storyline is going to show up out of nowhere or anything.”

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

***RUMBLE***

“ **W-Woah! H-Hey, what’s with this rumbling?!** ”

“ **I-Is it an earthquake?!** ” Zelda asked. “ **W-Wait, is there even an Earth in this universe?!** ”

“ **N-Now is not the time to ask that, Zelda!** ” I said to her.

“ ** _A-Aw, man. I-I think I’m…*burp* g-gonna be sick._** ”

“ ** _Th-This is what happens when you eat too much cake, Neptune!_** ” Nepgear said.

It wasn’t long before the sudden earthquake stopped. And we didn’t have to witness Neptune puking everywhere. But the fact that a random earthquake just happened out of nowhere was rather strange. Even if we are in a different universe.

“Woah. What was that?” Nisa asked.

“Earthquakes aren’t usually that powerful.” Nepgear said. “Or common.”

“I wonder…”

***RINGTONE CHIME***

“Hold on a second, Histoire.” IF said as she answered her phone. “Hello? Yeah, I’m near a TV. Turn on the news? Does it relate to the sudden earthquake? Okay, okay. I’ll turn it on. Right. Thank you.”

***BEEP***

“You guys heard that?”

“Almost there…got it!” Nepgear said as the TV was turned to the local news station of this world. There, a girl with long, dull orange hair worn in a ponytail with spiked messy bangs and a gold crown clip on the side of her head appeared on the screen.

_I guess she’s a reporter of sorts._

“ _Hey there, people of Gamindustri! Game Reporter Famitsu here! Reporting to you live with, oddly enough, not a game report! I’m instead reporting from a strange new land that has mysteriously just appeared. Not much is known about this place. But stay tuned for updates as we investigate further. Ciao!_ ”

“A strange new land that has mysteriously just appeared? What randomness is this?” Histoire asked.

“Do you think a new CPU was formed?” Nepgear asked.

“That cannot be. A CPU and a new nation cannot be created in such a short amount of time. It has to be something else.”

“Well, what could it be then?” IF asked.

As the other girls were talking it out, Zelda, Mio, Hanako, and I were in dead shock as we continued looking at the screen. Where that girl was reporting from was a place we thought was long gone. We thought it was completely destroyed when we ended up in this universe.

But…there it was. Alive and well.

“N-No way…P-Peachy, are you seeing this?” Zelda asked me.

“I sure am, Zelda. And I don’t think it’s a dream, either.”

“You guys know what that place is?” Nisa asked.

“Yes. We do.” Mio said. “That place is…”

“ **TH-THAT IS MYTHGROVE!!!** ”

“ **WH-WHAT?!** ” The six girls yelled in shock after hearing what Hanako just said.

“ **Th-There is no denying it! Th-That new land…i-is the Mythgrove Kingdom!** ”

 

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the history behind the Chaos Crystals revealed and the Mythgrove Kingdom suddenly returning to existence, the story continues once more! Sorry for the long wait. Things just kept happening whenever I wanted to write for this story. Life just had other plans when I had some of my own. It sucks.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.


	27. Friendships & Partners

“No way! Mythgrove’s actually back!” Zelda yelled.

“It came to this universe? How the heck did **THAT** happen?” Peach asked.

“This is truly mysterious.” Mio said.

“M-Mythgrove…i-it has returned. M-My home has returned! Which means everyone that I know… **Mother! Father! I-I am coming to see you both!** ” Hanako yelled out in full tears as she stood up from her chair and began rushing for the exit.

“Huh? Hey, Hanako! Wait!” Zelda called out.

“ **I-I am sorry! But there is no time to wait! I must return home to find my mother! She may be still alive and I wish to see her once more!** ”

“We get that.” IF said. “But should you really be running around in a new world that you just ended up in?”

…

…

…

“O-Oh, right. Th-That is true.” Hanako sadly said as she walked back towards us.

“If you girls really need to go to Mythgrove, then we don’t mind taking you there.” I offered.

“You really don’t mind?” Peach asked.

“Sure.” Compa said. “You’ve helped us. And now we’ll help you.”

“Think of this as us paying our debt from you helping us with Ridley and that underling earlier.” IF added.

“Plus…the 9 of us are a party now! We can’t split up this early in the adventure!”

“Neptune’s totally right!” Nisa agreed with my sister. “A grand adventure spanning multiple universes with **THE** two princess is **WAY** too exciting to pass up!”

“That does sound fun.” Mio said. “Why don’t we say with these girls for the time being?”

“Well…it’s not like we have a choice in the matter. Given the situation we’re in.” Peach said.

“Good point, Peachy.” Zelda said. “What do you say, Hanako?”

“W-Well…” Hanako looked quite unsure of the idea. I remember Mio saying that she’s rather shy when it comes to meeting new people. And only meeting the six of us just a few minutes ago isn’t making it any easier.

_We just need to earn her trust somehow. Make her believe that we’re all her friends. And that we want to help her all the way. But how?_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_Oh! That’s it!_

“Princess!”

“Ah! Wh-What is it, Nepgear?” Hanako asked as she was started by my sudden outburst.

“Princess. You know how I said that I’ll help you whenever you need it? Well, I meant it as more than simple explanations. I wish to help you save your kingdom. Because you’re my friend. And friends help each other in times of need. So, please. Trust me…trust us. We’ll all here to help. And I truly mean it.”

“Wow…” Nisa said.

“Ge-Ge…” Compa said.

“Nep Jr. being the emotional support character? I would complain, but…that touched me, even.” Sis said.

“Your sister truly has matured, Nep.” IF said.

“So, what do you say, Princess? Can we save Mythgrove together?”

“N-Nepgear…” Hanako had a few tears in her eyes. But she quickly wiped them away and grew a small smile on her face. “…Y-Yes. Yes, we can save Mythgrove together, Nepgear. Thank you so much for your support. Thank you all, really.”

“The same to you, Princess Hanako.” I replied with a smile of my own.

“A-Although…c-can you please just call me Hanako? Being referred to as “Princess Hanako” seems a bit…redundant.”

“Oh, I see. Then as you request…Hanako.”

“Well, now that’s taken care of. Histoire, do you know where this place is?” IF asked.

“Hmm…it seems that this new area has appeared near Virtua Forest. So, it is awfully close to Planeptune.”

“ _Ooh~_. Maybe we can make it an official part of Planeptune.” Sis said. “Wouldn’t that be totally coolio?”

“I highly doubt that would happen. Since Mythgrove is its own **kingdom** and all.” Peach said.

“Hey, come to think of it. Where did Dry Bowser go?” Zelda asked.

“He said that he had other things to do.” Histoire said. “What those things were, he didn’t say.”

“I see. _Totally not a normal secret boss._ ”

“We’ll deal with him later.” IF said. “Right now, let’s head over to this Mythgrove Kingdom and find out what exactly is going on.”

“Right.” I said. “Ready to go, Hanako?”

“ ** _*giggle*_** Yes. I truly am, Nepgear.” Hanako said to me with the small smile still on her face.

_Good. It looks like she trusts me. It always feels good when friends trust each other. I’m really going to enjoy this adventure now._

* * *

“ _Ow…m-my head. That was some trip._ ”

After who knows how long ago, I woke up in the middle of what looked like a forest. It was actually a beautiful scenery. Mountains with waterfalls, tall green trees & healthy-looking plants, futuristic structures like purple rings over the path I was on, a metal bridge to cross the river, rings attached to the tall green trees…

…

…

…

Yep. I’m definitely not in Primp anymore.

“What…is this place? Where did that weird gem take me to?”

“So…you’re finally awake huh, Demonic Princess?” I heard a voice talking to me. And turned to see a person that I…kinda know well standing across from me.

“Huh? Dry Bowser? What are you doing here?”

“You were with Meta Knight, weren’t you? Didn’t he tell you what was going on?”

It was then that it clicked for me in my head.

“Right. So, with you being here…that means your world already got dragged into this mess.”

“That clone of yours is causing trouble all over the place. She already destroyed that 6 Kingdom universe and came close to destroying the Mushroom Kingdom. I fought her off, though. Even though it was tough as hell. Point is, the Orange Chaos Crystal is safe. For now.”

“I see.” I then sighed in anger. “And some woman came out of nowhere and attacked me with this weird red ruby. My guess is that it brought me here as a way to get me out of the way. Now the Green Chaos Crystal is screwed once they find it.”

“Ridel already has one. Which already makes her a pain in the ass to beat. If she gets another one, then we’re completely screwed.”

“Yeah, obviously.” I then went silent for a bit as I looked around the area. “By the way…what is this place?”

“Some universe known as Gamindustri. This is the location of the Purple Chaos Crystal.”

“Really?” I asked with a surprised look. “I’ve never heard of this “Gamindustri” place.”

“Not many have. A few girls that I know ended up here, too.”

“I see.”

All of a sudden, the ground began to shake like it was an earthquake. The trees were shaking, the water was waving, and the sunlight disappeared for a short while as a huge boom ended all the commotion. Returning everything to its normal state.

“Geez. The hell was that?” Dry Bowser asked.

“Wait a second…Meta Knight did say that one of the 6 Kingdom universe was saved. Did he meant that it was brought to this uni…?”

***BONK***

“Ow! What just hit me?!” I yelled as I rubbed my head. I then looked on the ground and saw that it was a clear white orb with a bright light reflecting from it.

“ _Ugh._ I know where this is going.” Dry Bowser said while sounding annoyed.

“You know what this thing is?”

“It belongs to…”

And at that moment, the orb then began to glow as it floated on its own. And soon, a screen appeared. Where we were able to see the face of a woman with long green hair, a white dress, a bunch of gold jewelry, and a weird white light symbol behind her head.

_Just how weird is this going to get?_

“Well, now. So, we finally meet face-to-face, Lidelle Namanari.”

“Uh…do I know you?” I was really confused that this woman knew who I was but I’ve never seen her before.

“Oh, right. Where are my manners? I am Palutena. The Goddess of Light. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Palutena?” I thought for a moment. “Oh, yeah. I’ve heard of you. You fought in and won in that war against Hades.”

“So, you’ve heard of that?”

“5,000 years of being alive and that’s still the only thing that’s being talked about in Hell. You can’t really go anywhere without hearing some variant of it.”

“I see. Glad to be well-recognized in the world of Hell. **_*giggle*_** ”

“For someone like you, that’s not really something to be proud of…” I gained a sweatdrop.

“So, is there any reason for this random concussion call, Goddess?” Dry Bowser asked.

“My, my. Grumpy as always huh, Dry Bowser? Well, I’ll cut straight to the point then. That rumbling you just felt was the arrival of an entirely new world. Well, part of it.”

“Right.” I said. “Meta Knight did say that one of those 6 Kingdoms was saved at the last minute. What was it called again?”

“It’s referred to as Mythgrove.” Dry Bowser said. “It’s a medieval fantasy-like area that uses magic.”

“Huh. Kinda like Primp in some way.”

“Why’d you bring that place here, anyway?” Dry Bowser then asked Palutena.

“Like Lidelle said, it was completely last-minute. Just like how you and the others were scattered around this new universe. Ridel’s attack came out of nowhere and it was the best we could do at such short notice.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** So, Ridel really is causing trouble between multiple universes.” I said. “How the hell did she find out about the Chaos Crystals? And the existence of other universes, on top of that.”

“My guess is that someone must’ve told her. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have 8 universes near the brink of destruction right now.”

“Right. Is she here in this universe?”

“As of right now, we don’t know her current location. She could be anywhere. Even in that one kingdom that just showed up.”

“I see. So, I guess that’s where I start looking then.”

“You’re going after her?” Dry Bowser asked.

“It’s not like we have a choice. If we confront her now, we might have a chance of beating her. Granted, with her having a Chaos Crystal, it won’t be easy.”

“ ** _*sigh*_** Fine. Then I might as well tag along. Even if you are the Demonic Princess, your combat skills aren’t anything to look at.”

“Gee, thanks.” I said. Knowing that what he said was some kind of insult.

“Good luck out there, you two.” Palutena said. “You’re about to experience the biggest adventure of your lives.” The screen and then the orb soon disappeared out of thin air. Leaving nothing but dust from the dirt below.

“The biggest adventure of our lives…Ridel has really pushed the limit this time around.” I said. It was now me and Dry Bowser as we both headed for this Mythgrove Kingdom to hopefully stop my evil clone from committing mass murder…

…between 8 different universes.

_This is going to be one hell of an adventure…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As one group grows their trust in each other, another group is formed in the quick of an eye. Now both are heading for the newly arrived Mythgrove Kingdom. Granted, with different goals in mind. But they will relate soon enough.
> 
> Sorry for missing last week. I had planned to make this chapter longer. But midway through the week, I decided against it. So, it didn’t get uploaded.
> 
> This story might go on a break next weekend. I want to fix a few things with it and plus…I’ve got something else in mind. Something “real world” related. It’s not depression or anything. I’m fine. It’s just something I want to do for a while.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Later.

**Author's Note:**

> Original End Notes: So here’s a new story. I wanted to try something new for a change. I’ve had this idea since around Ultimate came out and been finding a good time to finally start writing it. And after nearly three months, I finally gave in and wrote it.
> 
> I originally had this on Fanfiction for a while. But it wasn't doing well there. So I ended up deleting it. I really don't want to stop writing this story. As I really like what I've written so far. So I've decided to make this story an AO3 exclusive. I'm hoping it does better here. I really like this idea.
> 
> So this story will follow Peach and Zelda as they explore a brand-new world unlike their own. It’s kinda like one of those RPG-inspired anime (like Konosuba, for example). Not sure why, but I’ve started liking those types of shows
> 
> Also, if you need an idea of what Zelda looks like, just think of how she looks like in Ultimate. That’s what pretty much gave me this idea.
> 
> New End Notes: Sorry for deleting the story earlier. I had decided to just continue this particular story and just change the name and such. It's just easier on my end. The story will continue next weekend.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading. Later.


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